Billy Boy

I feel a lot like Billy-boy at start of Internet,
Who loved the stand-alones he made then wove into a set;
He scoffed and said, “A fad, but still there’s lots of need still here,
For software which we’ve always made whose prices are quite dear.”

Five years have seen another change, more social than before,
As Mark and others let folks link with folks whom they adore;
It’s not that networks of themselves are new or anything,
It’s more that now they’re plain to see, and thus new insights bring:

Were tribal, nothing new in that, just think of our small towns,
We’re inter-bred quite closely here (a danger now of Down’s);
But then along comes Internet and global goes our scope,
Birds of our feathers contact us, with upswing in our hope.

Take Kath, with interest in her work in ‘documenting’ tools;
She gravitates to other folks on net – no group of fools;
Type in her name, clean data up, and bingo there they are –
Her colleague-network in a ring – with global reach quite far.

“Who cares?”, you ask, “we’ve all got friends and colleagues ’round the world;
We keep our info to ourselves, are cautious in the swirl;
I mind my business, you mind yours, like in a village tight;
With friends my work much better is in manuals I write.”

Okay – let’s say I write a book, of fiction – love or crime;
The hero has a day-job making manuals sublime;
I need some info – who to ask – like who would really know?
The software coughs her network up – and linkages it shows.

For people cluster – who knows whom? Who’s center of each batch?
Who stands between each smaller group like bridges in the past?
It’s quickly clear friend Kath’s the one to turn to (like the rest);
I contact her and info get – concern is thus addressed.

Let’s say my book comes out, and then I ask “Who would be pleased
To read a book which centers ’round a group of folks like these?”
Once more I enter subject, name, or keywords such as that,
And get a list of folks to tell – no spam involved in that –

For now I ferret names of folks at center of each cell,
And those who carry news between the clusters very well;
I send free copies, say “Just thought you’d like this, here is why”;
You know (if quality's your game), they’ll sing its praises high.

For there she is, “Acknowledgments” – “Hey, mom, my names in print!
I gave an answer to this guy, so he could better think”;
Yes, content flows around the world – but sometimes we must know
The names and status – who is who – and where for info go.

So, like I said, like Billy-boy, I thought it was a fad,
But tracings of our network chat show us the links we’ve had;
Just like in villages of old Who’s Who is critical,
Ten minutes with our handy tool shows it’s a village still.

Perhaps it’s time to blow the dust from “X-Sight” tool as well,
For market-work has shifted, and that tool in past was swell;
Or maybe use the tool to move NVivo up in sales –
“Where is the locus of the talk?” “Who’s who on research trails?”

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