Talk:Connector (social)

Article does not cite any references and is short. Added tag and stub --Careless hx 04:12, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

Connectors are very different from hubs, although connectors can be hubs of their own groups. A hub is a member of a group who is the center of the information flow, so that their place in the network looks like a wagon wheel. A connector is simply someone who brings otherwise unconnected parts of a network closer together. The big difference is a connector's circle of friends might not know each other at all besides the choice few he is connecting. However, a hub is the center of a group and therefore most of a hub's friends are also friends with each other.

On a side note, most of Malcolm Gladwell's theories on social networks have no scientific basis. While cascades, situations where a contagion is able to pick up enough momentum to be carried through an entire network, are seen as real phenomenon of social networks, connectors, mavens, and salesmen are not. While Gladwell is able to show real world examples of people who might seem to personify these network roles, it is impossible for any one person to know a large enough percent of a network that they will have a noticeable effect as a connector maven or salesmen. The services Gladwell claims these people provide is done already by other members of the network simply on a less concentrated basis. Jtkdonovan (talk) 16:46, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

Are they really?
The article stated that "connectors are people in a community who know large numbers of people and who are in the habit of making introductions". Are they really? Is this widely accepted? Surely the idea that these connectors exist is in fact a theory put forward by an author? I have edited the article to reflect this, but have not been able to do the research needed to bring this article up to anything like Wikipedia standards.Hobson (talk) 15:32, 6 May 2010 (UTC)