# Adding connections between stakeholders

> How to add and visualise connections between stakeholders in Lobster, including assistants and political advisers.

- URL: https://lobster.ist/blog/adding-connections-between-stakeholders/
- Language: English
- Also in Finnish: https://lobster.ist/fi/blog/adding-connections-between-stakeholders/
- Published: 2020-05-01
- Category: Guide

Lobster has a feature to illustrate connections between stakeholders. This can be useful, for example, when there is a need to see if a Lobster user is well enough connected to the key players in her field, or there is a need to illustrate to a client or a board member the connections of a politician or government official.

![A stakeholder connections map in Lobster.](https://lobster.ist/images/adding-connections-between-stakeholders-screenshot-2020-04-30-at-14.25.41.png "Connections are available also on Theme, Project and Organisation pages.")

Adding connections for a stakeholder begins by navigating to the stakeholder's profile and clicking the _Connections_ tab.

![The Connections tab on a stakeholder's profile.](https://lobster.ist/images/adding-connections-between-stakeholders-screenshot-2020-04-30-at-14.28.15.png)

![The + New connection button.](https://lobster.ist/images/adding-connections-between-stakeholders-screenshot-2020-04-30-at-14.38.33.png)

On the right-hand side of the page, there is a button _+ New connection_. Clicking the button opens a page with a stakeholder picker for choosing connections.

Stakeholders are searchable with **open text search** which searches both from stakeholder name and other information and organisations. It is also possible to limit the search with tags. So, it is possible, for example, to search for Swedish members of the ITRE committee at the European Parliament. Or simply by typing the name of the desired connection.

![Searching for a stakeholder in the connection picker.](https://lobster.ist/images/adding-connections-between-stakeholders-screenshot-2020-04-30-at-14.41.24.png)

Stakeholders are browsable with _< Previous_ and _Next >_ buttons on the bottom-right corner.

![Browsing stakeholders in the connection picker.](https://lobster.ist/images/adding-connections-between-stakeholders-screenshot-2020-04-30-at-14.41.35-1.png)

After searching, for example, for European Commission's President Ursula von der Leyen, the connection between stakeholders is initiated by clicking the _+ Pick stakeholder_ text to the right of the stakeholder's picture and name.

![Picking a stakeholder as a connection.](https://lobster.ist/images/adding-connections-between-stakeholders-screenshot-2020-04-30-at-15.52.45.png)

After clicking the link the stakeholder moves up in the view and three options appear under the stakeholder's name, position, organisation and picture.

- **Other**, which refers to a mutual connection between two stakeholders; these are shown on stakeholder maps. It is possible to describe the connection, for example, _a common hobby_.
- **Assistant**, which refers to a situation where the stakeholder being connected is an assistant for the stakeholder being edited. It is a good idea to write a comment if, for example, _all meeting requests should be directed to the assistant_.
- **Political advisers** for stakeholders that have them, for example, _a special advisor for a minister or a commissioner_. The connection is one way and the stakeholder being connected is a political adviser for the stakeholder being edited.

![The three connection types in Lobster.](https://lobster.ist/images/adding-connections-between-stakeholders-screenshot-2020-05-01-at-6.10.14.png "Lobster has three different connection types.")

After saving the added connections with the _Save_ button on the bottom-right corner of the page, connections are visible in different places. For example, in the stakeholder's _main profile view_ and _Connections_ tab, and on both the project and theme _Connections_ tab.

![Connections shown on a stakeholder's profile view.](https://lobster.ist/images/adding-connections-between-stakeholders-screenshot-2020-05-01-at-6.42.23.png "A stakeholder's connections are illustrated on the stakeholder's profile view. It is possible to describe the connection.")

![The Connections tab showing a spider-web visualisation.](https://lobster.ist/images/adding-connections-between-stakeholders-screenshot-2020-05-01-at-6.43.38.png "A stakeholder's Connections tab automatically shows connections as a spider web.")