Barbara Walters chats with Forward Syria
Swaying between art and seduction
Discussing monetary policy with the man in charge
Where the earth screams in horror
0 - Issue 38
Count Erik’s world
Are you affluent with a large social network, a lot of travels and interest in movers and shakers like yourself? Then look up Swedish count Erik Wachtmeister’s ASmallWorld.netby Ruba Saqr
Erik Wachtmeister created an affluent “Facebook” to cater for the seriously networked, upper-tier individuals who can really change the world. Forward Magazine spoke to Wachtmeister about why AsmallWorld, founded in 2004, must be your next stop if you claim to be a natural influencer, granted you are connected enough to receive an exclusive membership invitation!
There are several off-line world forums that bring together affluent individuals from around the globe, such as the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders. Do you see ASmallWorld as an online hub that can facilitate better networking among such individuals?
Definitely. Given the existing critical mass of ASW with over 500,000 members, many are business leaders, global thought leaders and trendsetters in general. There is currently no other true “global online community”, and where everyone is already connected by no more than two or three degrees.
What inspired the idea of ASmallWorld?
I realized in 1998 the existence of a global community of people who are strongly connected and continuously gravitate towards each other. I refer to the “3 million people connected by 3 degrees” as opposed to the common notion “6 billion people connected by 6 degrees of separation”. This community is characterized by inter-connected, well travelled, eclectic, educated, and accomplished people who tend to seek each other out for company and as a resource for trusted information.
What I noticed also was that this existing community has a strong need for privacy and peer-to-peer information. The notion of capturing the “collective intelligence” of the local expertise within this group is compelling. An Internet platform would be ideal for this purpose. I saw a real need for a trusted, relevant “oasis of intimacy” on the Internet. The Internet and social networks in particular have been plagued by information overload and filled with commercial bias.
Malcolm Gladwell's book “The Tipping Point” has been a great inspiration.
How many Syrians do you have in ASmallWorld?
Syria is number #15 on the list of 19 Arab nations and with only a few hundred members. There are approximately 25,000 members who say they reside in the Arab world. Almost half of them are from Dubai. Eighty percent are from either the UAE, Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt or Saudi Arabia.
What’s next for ASmallWorld. Are you intending on creating a multi-lingual interface? Any road shows or PR campaigns in the Arab World down the pipeline?
We have long discussed having a multi-lingual interface. So far we have stuck to English not only as the only language but also as a required language for any public discussions on the site. This has maintained the international nature of the site, and also made it easier to monitor discussions.
I am no longer involved in any operating decisions of ASW, and I am hence developing some exciting new initiatives outside the realm of ASMALLWORLD. This may include niche communities with the Arab world, and I would be happy to discuss this with some of your readers!
ASmallWorld requires five members to approve one’s admission before he/she is in. This is essential to maintain exclusivity, but how do you make sure that a VIP was not simply neglected because the five people required to show him/her in were too busy to admit him/her?
Not true. All you need is an invitation from an existing member who has invite rights. ASW has grown organically, whereby the community maintains an intimate feeling with everyone connected by two or three degrees of separation. All other networks tend to be connected by six degrees. Not everyone can invite. The viral forces of the Internet would become too strong to maintain the intimacy of ASW. Therefore we let those of our members invite who have the strongest bonds with the existing network.
Every new member needs to increase the value of the community as seen by its members. Quality comes from trust, inspiration, relevance, and congeniality. We have designed an algorithm to help us grow the network in an optimal way. It is like a scalable congeniality index that replicates what is done when people throw dinner parties, large wedding parties or frequent country clubs.
