Comments on: New math model untangles Facebook http://www.futurity.org/science-technology/new-math-model-untangles-facebook/ Research news from leading universities Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:12:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Bill in Detroit http://www.futurity.org/science-technology/new-math-model-untangles-facebook/comment-page-1/#comment-13515 Bill in Detroit Thu, 17 Jun 2010 02:57:09 +0000 http://futurity.org/?p=12229#comment-13515 This has application in teasing out 'cell' relationships, whether 'terrorist' or 'patriot' or 'resistance'. It's worth keeping an eye on. This has application in teasing out ‘cell’ relationships, whether ‘terrorist’ or ‘patriot’ or ‘resistance’. It’s worth keeping an eye on.

]]> By: wjv http://www.futurity.org/science-technology/new-math-model-untangles-facebook/comment-page-1/#comment-12980 wjv Fri, 28 May 2010 02:03:39 +0000 http://futurity.org/?p=12229#comment-12980 I often see these "social network maps" with accompanying claims that the observed clumping of nodes is significant. But until there is an explanation of why the nodes are placed where they are spacially relative to one another these claims about the significance of clumping are unsubstantiated. Who's to say the spacial arrangement isn't simply arbitrarily made to tease out these relationships. In other words how do these researchers determine the distance between each node? The coordinate number of each node is determined by the number of connections each individual has socially, but why place one node distance "A" from neighboring nodes, while another node is distance "B" from neighboring nodes? without a good definition for these distances, all of this talk about significant clumping is meaningless. I could easily change the distances between nodes in the chart above to make any kind of clumping pattern I want to. I often see these “social network maps” with accompanying claims that the observed clumping of nodes is significant. But until there is an explanation of why the nodes are placed where they are spacially relative to one another these claims about the significance of clumping are unsubstantiated.

Who’s to say the spacial arrangement isn’t simply arbitrarily made to tease out these relationships. In other words how do these researchers determine the distance between each node? The coordinate number of each node is determined by the number of connections each individual has socially, but why place one node distance “A” from neighboring nodes, while another node is distance “B” from neighboring nodes? without a good definition for these distances, all of this talk about significant clumping is meaningless. I could easily change the distances between nodes in the chart above to make any kind of clumping pattern I want to.

]]> By: tim dugan http://www.futurity.org/science-technology/new-math-model-untangles-facebook/comment-page-1/#comment-12645 tim dugan Sun, 16 May 2010 17:26:20 +0000 http://futurity.org/?p=12229#comment-12645 sadly the article gives pitifully few details what the algorithm is :( sadly the article gives pitifully few details what the algorithm is :(

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