My close circle is tiny and we know eachother almost too well. But I fall short on everyone else.
What people do or who they interact with (outside of the ones I know as well) is usually inconsequential to me. Who they are as a person matters far more to me than their past, their profession, their connections.
Which, I have found, is more interest than I usually get in return. So I guess it’s just the way we, males, work. Keep it simple.