The book was officially launched at an Ecademy Networking Event at the Tower Hotel in London on Thursday 18th May. All attendees received a free copy of the book.

A Friend in Every City is a book about Networking that owes its existence and content to networking, to blogs and to personal relationships. Co-author Andy Coote talked about the process by which the book came about and about the way in which his relationships with Penny and Thomas Power have developed during the development and writing process. Writing a book like A Friend in Every City involves hours of interviews and discussions and files full of research - choosing what goes in and what does not became critical.

Thomas Power explored the themes of the book. The world is changing and with it the world of work. Those changes will force more people to work for themselves and to work for longer. Networks are developing to support those people as they take their first steps in self employment, providing social support and, increasingly, business advice and real work. Social networks such as MySpace have huge followings and have attracted old media money (News Corp) as investors. Business networks, like LinkedIn, like OpenBC and like Ecademy, will have a growing role in the working lives of the increasing numbers of self employed people. At an individual level this means that Networking will become the key skill for 21st Century workers. Learning the skills could be the difference between success and failure. It really may become 'Network or Starve'.

'A Friend in Every City' was published by Ecademy Press on April 27th 2006 and is now available in Harback and Softback on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Ecademy Press.

A Friend in Every City is an inspirational and practical guide to the art and science of networking.

Networking is the key skill for the 21st century worker. As birth rates go down, life expectancy goes up and the business world continues to downsize to a core of permanent workers, more of us will find the 21st century a tough place to make a living. More of us will find ourselves working as freelancers or as part of 'fractional teams' that come together for a project and then disband. Fewer of us will retire on a pension - choosing instead to work on a portfolio of projects.

A Friend in Every City looks first at the forces shaping the new ways of working, then at how online networks, such as LinkedIn, Open BC, Ryze and Ecademy, are evolving to provide support for them. The authors look at how an individual worker can leverage these changes to their best effect.

Networks can provide us with support in all aspects of our lives. A good network will sustain us through bad times as well as good, providing emotional support as well as referrals. Contacts become connections, connections become advocates and advocates become friends.

Can the new networks provide the basis for something more than personal friendship and business? If we can look forward to having a true friend in every city around the world, what changes might that bring? Can conversations change the world?