Is she, or isn't she...

I've been dying to get home this evening to look this up. Yesterday, while talking to a co-worker, I was allowing that I have certain skill sets that enable me to get people to tell me things. I was getting ready to say that I was a 'connector' (which I think is true) but at the same time I was starting to say this, he said I was a Maven.

A Maven. I've heard of it, and when I think of it, I think of a wise, old crone. Hmmmm. But, as a label, well - might be true. Although there are MANY definitions of a Maven, here are some themes:
(1) an expert or connoisseur, often specif. a self-proclaimed one - from yourdictionary.com
(2) A person who has special knowledge or experience; an expert. American Heritage Dictionary
(3) The word comes from the Yiddish meyvn and Hebrew mevin (מבֿין), with the same meaning, which in turn derives from the Hebrew binah, meaning understanding. Wikipedia, first paragraph
(4) In network theory and sociology, a maven is someone who has a disproportionate influence on other members of the network. Wikipedia, second paragraph
(5) Malcolm Gladwell used it in his book The Tipping Point (Little Brown, 2000) to describe those who are intense gatherers of information and impressions, and so are often the first to pick up on new or nascent trends. The popularity of the work of Safire and Gladwell has made the word widely used in their particular contexts. Gladwell also suggests that mavens may act most effectively when in collaboration with connectors - i.e., those people who have wide network of casual acquaintances by whom they are trusted, often a network that crosses many social boundaries and groups. Connectors can thus easily and widely distribute the advice or insights of a maven. Widipedia, 4th paragraph (I might be both, a maven and a connector!)

I could go on - there are pages in google of definitions or impressions - I cherry-picked, obviously, the ones that I think fit. My perogative, my blog. But, I do believe he may have been on to something.

People have come to me my whole life and told me their story. I really don't know why. These days, I just ask the question, but back in high school or college that would have been to bold and brazen. They still told me. One of the references almost sounded like a witch (chrone), but I still like to think that my boss/co-worker/friend is right - I am the White Oprah.

Which explains all.