a “referral economist”, a new breed of business matchmaker who profits from connecting people

That alone sounds a little shady but in context it’s about using your network to connect with business opportunities and connect other businesses to eachother.

A lot of people think “networking” is ego-driven, greasy sales types at events handing out business cards and trying to get closest to the most important person in the room. That’s just a misconception like the idea that Twitter is just ego-centric, over-sharing of the minutae of life.

Networks (and social technologies like Twitter)  are about connecting people. The social media revolution has already massively impacted industry by connecting brands and customers. The next phase is when businesses connect to eachother. Wikinomics fascinates me by exploring that idea, and the concept of  Amplified 09 goes further looking at what happens when we connect across industries.

I know it’s cheesy but we really do live in exciting times.

This morning I logged on to see that Janefu who, judging by her profile pic, works for Qik had seen my plaintive cry and tweeted back to ask what the problem was.

Although I feel slightly silly, it’s impressive that they’re listening to conversations and responding direct to try and help out. Now, I wonder if I rant about HSBC if anyone will finally return my calls?