Thanks for Birthday Greetings - Help Build the Network

Yesterday more than 90 people posted "Happy Birthday" greetings to me on Facebook and other social media.  I responded to many with thanks and a few other comments, but also began to build a list with the goal of creating a group message, which I posted today. See it here.

I included the image below:

Dan Bassill Facebook Connections - 2012 see pdf

This is one page from a 2012 presentation (click here) that shows different groups of people whom I am connected to on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.  The major clusters are my extended family, with members spread on East and West Coasts, as well as Chicago area.  Also my Illinois Wesleyan University Acacia Fraternity network, which also has members spread around the country.  It includes connections to former students and volunteers from the Tutor/Mentor programs I led between 1975 and 1993 (which I joined as a volunteer in 1973).  It also includes people I've met as a result of the work the Tutor/Mentor Connection has done since 1993 and the conferences I hosted from 1994-2015.  Finally it includes a growing network of people who I've met on line in idea sharing communities.  Since this is from 2012 the composition of the network would be much larger today, 2018.

Most of the people in different parts of my network don't interact with people in other parts of the network. Heck, some from within clusters, like my extended family, don't know people from other parts of the family tree.

Yet, we all are living in a world with many problems that we can't solve working alone or in small groups.

I could have chosen a number of different graphics to communicate the idea I'm trying to share.  Do a Google search for "tutor mentor network building" then look at the images. You'll see many with this same idea.

Each of the people who sent me birthday wishes could be reading my blog articles and simply sharing them with their own networks, using social media.  That's what Tramaine Ford, a former Cabrini Connections student, did with this FB post.

Or, they could look deeper, then create new versions of the articles, and new ways to share the ideas, using video, animation, long or short form writing, etc.

We all are part of many networks. The problems we face in the world cannot be solved by one person, or small groups, working alone. Finding ways to connect people in your network with information and ideas, and with each other, is one solution.

This ENOUGH graphic is an example. I started this in 2007 and an intern from South Korea created this graphic and an animated version a few years later. I put it on video last year.  Click this link and see several articles where I've used this.

Apply these ideas in 2019 and when it's time for my birthday again in December 2019, bring your network and tell me how you've used these ideas.

Thanks to those who have given birthday gifts. I'm still seeking help. Please read my appeal letter and add your support.