ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on how information can be useful to build lasting alliances through social networking, coalition building, and public-private partnerships. It discusses how well-networked communities maximize information flow, build trust and reciprocity, enhance social capital, link diverse knowledge silos, attract customers, build momentum, and "buzz," and even attract others into the community. Many colleges and universities operate in silos and are somewhat removed from their communities, and it will take the initiative of entrepreneurial community leaders to reach out to the universities to open the lines of communication to collaborate and strategize. One of the first steps to building a more entrepreneurial community is to understand the history of the community, and that of its people and culture. In social networking, making connections to people who can provide actionable support to an entrepreneurial community is a major task in network development. Elected officials determine policies that can support or inhibit entrepreneurial activities.
