Visible Us Blog
The Visible Us Blog is home to all our articles written by our team and our partners and guests. Try searching for a topic related to network leadership, social connectedness, or network science, or explore another content category below. Interested in contributing a guest blog? Contact our team for more info.
Want to learn about network science? Have a collaborative problem you need to tackle? The Visible Us Blog is our space for sharing stories, advice, and inspiration with our community. Subscribe to our newsletter on the right so you don’t miss any blog updates! Have a suggestion for a new blog topic? Shoot us an email at hello@visiblenetworklabs.com
New in PARTNER CPRM: Expert-Provided Survey Templates
⏰ Quick Takeaway: Instantly add a ready-to-use, research-backed survey to your Question Library with new VNL Expert-Provided Survey Templates—starting with our 18-question Default Community Partner Survey—so you can launch faster, capture validated trust/value metrics, and link results directly to Insights, all live in PARTNER as
How Six Cities Tackled Loneliness Through Network Science: A PARTNER CPRM Story
Loneliness has been called the new public health epidemic. Across the globe, communities are seeing the impacts of social isolation on both mental and physical health—higher rates of depression, weakened immune systems, even increased risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Solving this challenge
How to Craft Powerful Research Questions for Organizational Network Analysis (ONA)
Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) is a powerful methodology for studying relationships and interactions within and between organizations. The success of any ONA project hinges on well-crafted research questions that focus the analysis and ensure meaningful insights. This guide outlines how to develop research questions that
Customer Story: How NAPCRG Mapped 50 Years of Connection Using PARTNER CPRM
How a Leading Research Organization Used Network Science to Celebrate—and Strengthen—Its Legacy of Collaboration In 1972, Dr. Maurice Wood and 50 pioneering primary care researchers launched what would become the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG). Half a century later, NAPCRG is not just
Doing More With Less: Stretching Your ‘Relationship Budget’ in Lean Times
Public health departments. Nonprofits. Foundations. City agencies. Whatever your mission, building and managing partnerships is central to making an impact. But in today’s climate of shrinking budgets, increased demand, and stretched teams, maintaining those partnerships can feel overwhelming. At Visible Network Labs, we call this
Five Types of Network Brokerage Roles Every Community Leader Should Know
In complex social systems—coalitions, collaboratives, partnerships, or cross-sector initiatives—network leadership is about more than connection. It’s about positioning, facilitation, and leveraging relationships to drive strategic outcomes. This is where network brokers play a vital role. At the heart of brokerage is the idea that individuals
8 Common Pitfalls in Community Asset Mapping (and How to Avoid Them)
Community-asset mapping can be a launchpad for stronger partnerships and smarter resource allocation—but only if the process is as intentional as the map itself. It is easy to get lost in the forest and lose sight of the big picture if you aren’t careful, especially
Building Networks That Work: 10 Practical Lessons From Network Science
Healthy networks don’t happen by accident. They are intentionally designed ecosystems that evolve through clear goals, purposeful structure, and a relentless focus on relationships. Drawing on ten key topics from VNL’s Insights Library, below are condensed lessons you can apply today—whether you’re launching a new
Building Effective Hubs for System Change: A Network Science Approach
In complex systems like public health, early childhood, and behavioral health, coordination is everything—but it’s hard. More and more communities are turning to hubs as central connectors to align stakeholders, share resources, and drive systems change. However, without a clear picture of the network, hubs
17 Tips for Effective Storytelling Using Social Network Analysis (SNA)
Communities and coalitions rely on strong relationships to create change—but those relationships are often invisible without the right tools to map and measure them. Social network analysis (SNA) can shine a light on these connections, but understanding and acting on the data requires more than
Types of Community Assets: 10+ Examples of People, Places, and Partnerships
Community asset mapping is a powerful practice embraced by nonprofits, public health agencies, local governments, and coalitions to illuminate and mobilize the inherent strengths within their communities. Instead of solely focusing on needs or deficits, this strengths-based approach builds upon what’s already working, fostering resilience
What SaaS Taught Me About Building a Better Network: The Power of Quick Wins and “Time to Value”
Last week, I opened a newsletter that hit me with a concept that immediately clicked—and not just because I’ve worked in SaaS. The article, written by Isaac Peiris, dives into a core idea from product strategy called Time to Value (TTV)—the amount of time it
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