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Showing posts from February, 2012

Membership has its Privileges (at a cost)

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How important is it to feel like you belong? To many of us, very important. We are social animals that constantly feel the need to be accepted . Religion, sports teams fan clubs, political parties. All examples of groups of people that share something in common. Networks of people. The concept goes beyond human association based on interests or values. Networks are formed around the use of common instruments: languages, gadgets, credit cards. Why join a network? Because you benefit from the fact that other people belong to that very same club. As a non-native English speaker, you learn English because the world of international business speaks English, not Russian, Greek or Arabic. You get a Visa Card instead of a Discover or Diners Club because you want to have access to the biggest network of POS in the world (87% of merchants worldwide accept it). You buy a gasoline-powered vehicle instead of one using Natural Gas because you want access to the well-established network of gas