The thesis is simple: bring back the little black book.

Modern networking is broken.

Somewhere between MySpace and LinkedIn, we stopped protecting our personal networks. The value of our connections has been diluted over time.

There’s no real reason I need to be friends with my grandma’s neighbor on Facebook. I accepted her friend request because it was easier than dealing with the awkwardness of saying no. But this isn’t about Facebook or my grandma’s neighbor—she means well, and it’s harmless on its own. The problem runs deeper.

This is about preserving the power of your personal network—the power to create meaningful opportunities for you, both socially and professionally.

What prompted this reflection was my experience trying to find a job through LinkedIn. LinkedIn has become corporate-branded social media. It used to be about staying in touch with your professional network, but now it’s about maximizing your engagement on their platform. The original vision has been lost.

We’re too quick to add people we barely know—someone we met once at a conference three years ago—filling our networks with weak ties and diluting what should be our core group of trusted contacts.

Platforms are now saturated with people you don’t really know, because we stopped protecting our networks long ago. People post and comment, but the interactions feel less genuine with each passing year. Every “tip” or “trick” for connecting with the right people is overused before you even get a chance to try it.

These days, the best way to connect with someone who’s actually willing to talk or offer insight is to find someone you know in the real world and reach out online. Serendipitous online interactions are almost nonexistent.

The solution seems simple: build a better way to find and connect with the people you actually should be networking with.

I don't have the solution yet, but I'm working on it. It's somewhere at the intersection of the tribal and physical networks we all tie our identity to and our online presence.