Social networks and SocialText
Good overview of practical social network theory in Aliza Sherman’s post about a conversation with my friend Ross Mayfield of SocialText. I was a first beta (actually alpha) tester for SocialText, and Ross and I did some theory-swapping in the early 2000s. He talks here about “how our networks have dense cores (strong ties) surrounded by dynamic peripheries (looser ties).”
The core of an organization - such as the leadership team - tends to work closely together. They process information well and can usually make decisions quickly and effectively. The rest of the team, however, is the dynamic periphery and there is strength in these weak ties.
Ross talks about how communication within the enterprise is often disorganized - email and attached files. The SocialText “wikiblog” is a platform for organizing communication and information more effectively.
Instead of focusing on files as the crux of collaboration, Socialtext focuses on the people who are creating the documents and sending the messages. You can follow who you want, connect with who you choose, and build your own organizational directory based on your needs and goals so you can tap into the right people to help you get the job done. Socialtext makes the dynamic periphery visible and helps everyone tap into the critical talent, knowledge and skill that may not be situated in the dense core.
