# Social Capital **Domain:** Sociology / Networks / Entrepreneurship **Doc Type:** Canonical concept node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Social capital is the practical value carried by trusted relationships, reciprocal expectations, shared norms, reputation, and access across a network. ## Mechanism and Significance Introductions, recommendations, shared credit, and reliable cooperation reduce the friction required for people to find one another and act together. The capital is relational: it exists through the network's capacity to circulate information, opportunity, and trust. ## Evidence Boundary People are not assets to be owned or exploited. Social capital names the capacity produced by relationships; it does not reduce friendship, care, or community to transactional advantage. ## Relationships [[wiki/Generosity|Generosity]] · [[wiki/Cooperation|Cooperation]] · [[wiki/Entrepreneurship|Entrepreneurship]] · [[wiki/Reputation|Reputation]] ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “Get an opportunity, share an opportunity. When a door opens, bringing a friend through it multiplies the benefit. Mentioning a fellow writer in an article or recommending a peer for a speaking role builds a generous network.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream (Aug 2016)* [[reminders/Generosity/Share Opportunity to Multiply Its Benefit by Bryant McGill|Share Opportunity to Multiply Its Benefit by Bryant McGill]] > “Your community is your real currency. Reputation is built over years by consistent generosity and fairness, and people watch your actions far more than they read your mission statement. Every interaction is a deposit into or withdrawal from that account.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Organic Reach and the Democratization of Influence - Livestream (Jan 2016)* [[reminders/Social Capital/Community Is Real Currency by Bryant McGill|Community Is Real Currency by Bryant McGill]]