But I wander into this comments section today to tell a story from a buddy of mine about Ireland. In his youth, he went on a bike tour of France. Deciding to send a post-card home to a friend, for the address he drew an outline of the island and placed an “X” where the town was. To complete the address, he wrote the last name of his friend.

It arrived at the correct destination in three days.

I’ve always wondered, though, just how did the French postal service know what to do with it?

If you want to eat, you go through the list trying to tell him about the ones you’ll think he knows. Finally you come to some publication or person that he’s met or really respects. He places you. Then he offers you work. (I say he but it could be a she.)

Let’s say he can’t place you. He doesn’t offer you work. That’s often been my experience, both ways.

That’s relationship-based marketing, of a sort.

Kieran Healy has a post about how Irish people meeting each other (especially abroad) check out each other’s political/historic pedigree and social networks as soon as is decently possible. After Henry posted yesterday (post titled ‘hagiogr…

Kieran Healy has blogged a few times about the sociology of small world networks, most recently doing a post on how Irish people sniff out each other’s family and social connections within 2 pints (at most) of their first meeting….