Q: What are 2,000 Facebook friends worth?

A: [Maybe] nothing.

A key distinction needs to be made between contacts and relationships.  Having 2,000 Facebook friends makes you popular.  But it may not make you successful.  For that, you need relationships.  The big difference between contacts and relationships is this: Contacts are just contacts. Relationships have the capacity for action.  Now, answer the question again: what are your Facebook friends worth?

So if breadth [AKA number] of connections doesn’t matter, what about depth of connections?  Put another way: if having 2,000 Facebook friends doesn’t help you, what about having a limited number of strong ties?  This is also not very helpful.  Well then, what works? According to recent research, the single most critical factor in determining the value of your network is breadth of connections with the right people – people willing to recommend.  If individuals within your network are not willing to recommend you, they are of no, and possibly even negative, value to your network.  If individuals within your network – some of whom you may have developed deep relationships with – are not willing to recommend you and possibly even speak negatively about you, they in fact detract from the value of your network.

Always remember: the key to a valuable network is breadth of people willing to recommend you.  So, how do you build a valuable network of your own?