Connections and degrees of separation

By now most people are on facebook.  One of the applications that fascinates me is the Friend Wheel.  It takes all of your friends, then links and groups them together to form a nice, colourful, interesting image.  I play with mine a lot because I like how it looks as I add friends.  Imagine what your wheel would look like if you included on your wheel those people that do not use facebook.  I am fascinated by the way the world connects and really how many degrees of separation there are.  In the last week I have reconnected with two old friends.  They in turn know so many other interesting people.  I could spend the rest of my life meeting friends of friends, never stepping out of that scenario, and learn to know so many more people that have so many talents, that drive the way the world works.  Have the people I don't even know influenced me because they have influenced my friends?  This is an odd topic but for me thought provoking.  How many friends of friends could you meet, increase the size and scope of your world, and be a better person for it?