Offline Networking In Brief

Coming into this class, I expected to learn solely about online social networks. Instead of learning about solely Facebook, Twitter, etc., we learned how society as a whole functions through networks. We began by visualizing networks by portraying visually as vastly connected graphs. Each point in the graph, called a node, represents a person, and each line, called an edge, represents a connection between two nodes. We then learned methods of optimizing networks, such as filling structural holes and closing structural triads. Additionally, we learned that edges have different strengths, known as strong and weak ties. Networks of strong ties tend to be more dense and may not be well connected with those outside of the network, whereas weak ties tend to span farther and to more networks, which is known as the strength of weak ties theorem.

After learning graphical analysis of networks, we began to learn about the networks themselves and networking effects. We began with learning about diffusion and contagion, and how ideas and other effects spread across a network. We then explored the six degrees of separation theorem and how the world is connected as a whole. After spending a day learning about online power laws, we finished by exploring speed dating and mate copying. I've learned more about networks in the last two months than I have in the last four years using Facebook. Being able to explore social networks in a whole new way, with large graphs and long contagion paths has brought a new light into my knowledge of networks as a whole.