I choose to create my Visual Network Map based on my overlapping areas of interest and quickly found that I have three common aspects to everyone I know. I’m related to them, I work with them, or I give back to the community with them.

By far the closest people within my network are my family, we share a lot in common from working together and volunteering together to interests such as woodworking and public speaking. Beyond my family themselves, there’s a near-infinite number of relationships they have that are part of my network and span well outside my immediate spheres.

My work affords me a wonderful opportunity to meet new people regularly, exchange ideas with them and grow my own network both directly with them as well as their own connections. From co-workers and customers to students and fellow instructors, I’m blessed to have connections all over the world through work.

Finally, there’s the open-source community. I teach, travel, speak, volunteer, write software, and build communities for open-source projects around the world. For every connection I make helping people learn about their software, I make a dozen more over the years through community projects and volunteer hours.

As I continue my studies at Royal Roads, I hope to see my circles grow even more and discover hidden connections that I didn’t imagine between my existing communities and the new ones I’m exposed to.