Six Degrees of Messenger

The story that we're all connected by 6 degrees of separation may not always work in the real world. This fascinating concept about the way our social networks are set up has plenty of critics and skeptics. In the world of instant messaging, though, this maxim has been vindicated. A study by Microsoft researchers shows that users of Microsoft Messenger are separated, on average, by about 6.6 "steps" between mutual friends.

Jure Leskovec and Eric Horvitz analyzed 4.5 Terabytes of data, representing all the usage of Microsoft Messenger in one month during the summer of 2006. The information was anonymous, but the researchers used general demographic data (age, zip code, gender, etc.) to produce some interesting results. Their findings break down into 3 major areas: age, gender, and geography.

In general the study shows that even online we stick with our own. The majority of our conversations take place with others who share our language. The next strongest factors are geographical distance and age group.

The world of messaging has always had a strong over-representation of people between the ages of 15 and 35. According to the data, this younger segment also tends to communicate mostly with others in the same age group. This changes as we get older. Users over 35 show less bias based on age. Our conversations also get deeper with age, it seems. While people over the age of 50 have fewer IM conversations in general, their conversations are generally longer and involve more messages. Interestingly, the conversations also got slower, with less "messages per hour" than younger users.

As for gender, guys talking to guys are just as taciturn online as on the phone. The average male-male conversation was shorter than any other based on gender. The average male spent 4 minutes per conversation with other males. Female-female conversations averaged 4.5 minutes apiece. The study also confirmed that we invest more in conversations with the opposite sex. Half of all IM exchanges were between opposite sexes, and these conversations averaged 5 minutes each. Opposite genders involved in conversation with each other also tended to do web searches for similar subjects, indicating that we really do pay more attention to communicating with current or prospective mates.

Next, the study describes the geographical results. Distance-wise, we stay close to home. The research shows a peak in communications at distances of 500km or about 312 miles. The researchers theorize that this is partly the result of geographic features. For example, past a distance of 3000km, there is a sharp decline in the amount of communications. This distance is also the approximate width of the Atlantic Ocean, giving a probable explanation for the decrease in links.

Looking at a map of what countries talk to each other the most, the conclusions about "homophily", or associating with people like yourself, still hold true. Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America have strong links to each other and Spain. Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and the Korean peninsula form a tight network. Turkey shows strong links to Germany, which has a large population of Turkish immigrants.

The countries of the Arabic-speaking world stick close together and also communicate heavily with France, a former colonial power in North Africa and home to a large population of Arabs. These countries also have some of the longest conversations out of all the places in the study, a reflection of the family-oriented, close-knit culture of the area.

These conclusions are interesting, but not surprising. To me, the most important result is proof of something I've believed for a while. Instant Messaging can span the globe, but for the most part it doesn't make you new friends. The social network stays more or less same. It's just another medium to keep in touch with those you already know.

Everyone Else Gives T-Shirts; Why Can't I?

It's been about two weeks since I started this blog, and I think it's time to get you readers involved a little. So here goes, the first contest from The Social Creature. Send me an interesting story from your experience with social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace. Your story can be funny or strange, as long as it's entertaining. You can post it as a comment here, as I look at all comments before they become public. Within the next two weeks or so, I'll pick my favorite one and post it here for the world to see. The most entertaining story will get the writer 15 minutes of fame and a free Social Creature t-shirt when the design debuts at the beginning of May. As usual, I also welcome other comments, recommendations and suggestions for interesting topics.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of interesting links from other bloggers:

How to Make and Spread Rumors from Dan Zarella, an expert on viral marketing

3 Great Social Networking Tools from The Fog of Eternity

BookLamp - Book Recommendation System from The Sociable Blog

MyMission2: The World's First Aspirational Network

This month, MyMission2 took its BETA version public. The site hopes to use the idea of a "social contract" to connect people trying to achieve a goal with people who can help. The process is relatively straightforward; fill in some information about yourself, post your mission and start working toward the goal, or respond to the missions of others. This startup has a feel distinct from other social networking sites and is trying to maintain that distinction by concentrating on the mission at hand, so to speak. David Ashford, the CEO, calls this "content-to-people, rather than people-to-people," which makes it a refreshing change of pace for network sites.

Users of the site are known as "missioners". Those asking for help by posting a mission become "comissioners". Other users, the "responders", pledge their support by responding to the missions and form a sort of mini-community around each goal. Users enter their own mission descriptions and sort them by category. Each missioner has the ability to upload relevant files and reward the responder he or she feels has been the most helpful. Whenever a new mission is posted, select users are notified about it based on the information they provide in their profile. When I asked about this selection process, CEO David Ashford told me, "We only alert a small number of people... these are the people that are most likely to be able to help fulfil the mission."

These missions range from the ordinary ("I Want To Learn Spanish") to the somewhat more ambitious (one user aspires to "Live Forever"). What is surprising is the amount of support shown to almost any mission falling within this spectrum. Even the guy that wants to live forever receives a myriad responses, including links to articles on slowing the aging process. Admittedly, there are some strange and mangled requests, such as a plea to help "save the cheerlader" without any follow-on explanation. However, these seem to get weeded out quickly. The users on the site "get it" and tend to band together to discourage and report inappropriate and irrelevant inquiries.

The whole idea is a great example of building social capital. You can ask for help, but you will be rewarded for helping others as well. Each is expected to give and to receive based on a points system. For now, the points just add a bit of competition to the site and help distinguish newcomers from people who have been involved since the BETA went public. In the future, though, the site's creators hope to allow users to redeem their points for real-world rewards.

MyMission2 has been well-received by users, garnering over 3,000 members in its first week. One review has been mixed, however, citing lack of seriousness in the missions, as well as complaining about the amount of information the site wants from each user. It seems the first is being addressed by an active user community and a responsive customer service team, both of which insure that most missions appearing on the site are legitimate or at least not offensive. The second, however, is part of the nature of the beast. Due to the way others are notified of missions, the more information you provide the more you'll be able to help others.

Overall, the site has a few steps left till maturity, but it shows great potential and my experience with it has been extremely positive. Not only have I already seen feedback about this blog referred from MyMission2, but I've also made contact with other people trying to do similar things or accomplish goals which interest me. The MyMission2 team is working to improve usability and add functionality every day. New users are urged to take a look at the MyMission2 Blog for upcoming announcements. And of course, come support my mission on the site by providing feedback and ideas for this blog!

YourSpace: A Network For Every Taste

Ever want a social network that serves your interest or occupation? MySpace is great for keeping in touch with that girl you met while partying on spring break, and Facebook will keep you posted on how your best friend from high school is doing, but how about meeting others in the same social niches as you? A recent slew of specifically targeted sites make it possible to network with others who share the same job, the same hobby, or the same geographic region.

"For example, let's say that you want to play with your old band, but the band members have moved on and now live in different cities. So use jamNOW to get together," advises the User's Manual for jamNOW, a networking site for musicians. The site is based on a standalone application which connects to the site's server to put you in touch with other musicians. You and your friends can enter a virtual room where the input from an instrument you have connected to your computer mixes with your friends' audio, allowing each of you to hear it as if you were playing in the same location. The software allows for other users to join the room as an audience, and for your music to be broadcast live on the Internet.

In a previous post, I talked about PilotShareTheRide.com, but there are sites for every mode of transportation. Are you in the trucking business, an aspiring trucker or just living vicariously? Layover.com's myLayover provides you with a community of your own. Layover, a job hunting site for truckers, has just launched a BETA version of its social network which allows you to get updates on weather, licensing and training requirements, and share tips with other truckers. It also offers all the standard social network features such as profiles, photo albums, blogs and video content so you're never bored on the road.

If you're looking for a more conventional past-time, there are also plenty of sites for you. CarSpace caters specifically to automotive enthusiasts and people looking to buy or sell cars while Advogato, a veteran of online communities, serves those working in free and open-source software. MyChurch, a site for Christians modeled on Facebook and MySpace, even allows churches to collect their tithes from members online. There is also Cake Financial, designed for investors. The site links to your brokerage accounts, tracks your performance, and lets you monitor trends as well as sending you alerts of your friends' trading activity.

Looking change the world? Care2 provides a forum for those supporting environmental and social causes. It is designed to facilitate activism. The site has a click-to-donate feature, as well as Earth-friendly shopping, online petitions and a healthy living section, in addition to standard fare expected from a social site.

Perhaps you feel you need a more exclusive experience. If you can get in, sites like aSmallWorld and Diamond Lounge allow you to hobnob with the social elite. While neither explicitly states that net worth is a requirement, each one is invitation only and those are hard to come by. Diamond Lounge charges a $60 per month membership fee, and the rules are akin to a country club (the sites are actively patrolled to prevent undesirable individuals and harassment). aSmallWorld, for example, allows just 15% of its members to invite newbies. Diamond Lounge has 5,000 applications pending from billionaires, professional athletes and members of the film industry. In the end, though, they'll only take 500.

Social Capital: It's Who You Know

When it comes to doing business in the world of peer-to-peer lending, connections count. Prosper.com, the most popular of the recent crop of P2P lending sites, has the statistics to prove this. This is the phenomenon of social capital. One Prosper user, islandmele, emphasizes its importance as a form of securing the loan:

"Should I ever even THINK about defaulting on this loan, I will never be able to leave my house again; prevented from ever catching a good wave; given the brush-off at family gatherings; be unable to run for local office; never be invited to the kewl parties; and shunned at the local Starbucks."

She proceeded to collect 40 endorsements from friends, colleagues and family to prove her point. Some backed their endorsements with bids on the loan, but many just lent their reputation. The result? Her loan for $25,000 was fully funded on the first day of its seven-day listing, and her interest rate dropped to an amazing 5%. She invested a great deal of social capital and the return on that investment was a great deal on a loan. She's not alone. More and more people are starting to realize that reputation and social connections matter. This is the new economy, and the repo man has been replaced by your next-door neighbor.

Some may see this listing as an extraordinary example, but islandmele simply used the social facilities many of us have been neglecting for so long and proved that they matter more than ever. The data backs this approach. Not only do lenders swarm to someone whose social network is willing to lend them money, but Prosper reports a default rate of just 1.2% for loans where a friend has given an endorsement with at least a $50 bid. This is a stark contrast to the 7%-15% default rates the peer-to-peer lender claims overall, depending on which source you reference. Of course, this "it-takes-a-village" approach makes sense. Would you default on a loan knowing that one of the people who lent you the money was the minister of your church, or even your boss?

Social Capital is being quantified more and more often in new ways. For example, I started writing this blog about a week ago. During that time, the only advertising I did was mentioning it on my Facebook news feed and a few e-mails, yet the number of visitors has already reached 100. This shows that I have at least enough social capital saved up among my friends that they would take a few minutes out of their day to learn about something new based just on my recommendation.

This sort of quantification can also be used to turn reputation and social network into profit. For example, if I add Google's AdSense to my site, I can get paid for every view of their ads. In a sense, I would be getting paid for my ability to draw people, much the same way celebrities get paid for endorsement deals. Funny? Well, You're reading this, aren't you?

If you're interested in finding out more about the scientific study of social capital and attempts to quantify it, you can take a look at The Social Capital Benchmark Community Survey, a study which looked at different samples of the population throughout the United States and used specific questions to establish metrics for the levels and roles of social capital in different communities. Also, please check back here next week for another article related to the subject.