Networks and networking

Have just done a little bit of work on a bibliography and glossary on networks, which was very interesting, though rather open-ended.

It seems to me that networks,like discussion forums, are frequently desired and rarely enduring. Entities that are made up of a disparate body of people turn out to be messy, haphazard things, despite good intentions. You can plan to minimise failure, but you can't eliminate it as a possibility. When a network succeeds, it's exciting. When it fails, we have to get over natural disappointment and learn. That's not easy.