Can Social Networks Be Generated Automatically?

Article's good & concise, so I'll send you right to it.

It's more technical in nature than most of the PR-related social media discussions you see out there. However, this article gives some great insight into some of the complication inherent in creating software to construct the links between individuals. The difficulty stems from the fact that we're... well, people. The question asked: Just what comprises a person's connection to another?

My favorite part:

On the flip side of the spouse problem is "the ex problem," which was highlighted during the launch of Buzz. This occurs when algorithms connect two people who may have communicated frequently at one point but no longer do, and no longer wish to--such as estranged romantic partners.

Among the takeaways here is the reality that social networks people form are glimpsed in a shadow-like fashion by the tools we use to see them online. This is a constantly-evolving world. But we can also look back at older tools for figuring out who connects to who and what--such as Neilson-type surveys and demographics groupings--to realize we've made leaps in understanding these connections. Ever tried to define yourself solely by what section of the record store you'd visit if you could only select one section?

Use the tools as the shorthand they are, but don't confuse them with what's really going on. We'll be able to see even more clearly next year, or the next.