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I'm curious as well.  I'm not a computer scientist and can't comment on the algorithm, but the end result doesn't strike me as living up to the headline.  As I read it, it presents a method of finding a seed group which is large enough to infect the entire network (assuming a certain threshold infection level) which works on the massive scale of actual online social networks.  This is exciting, but I don't think it solves the "fundamental problem," which I still see as proving the threshold infection model accurately depicts actual human behavior. 

I'm eager to hear what the experts on this list have to say.  I'm a neophyte and came here to learn.

-Bryan 

Bryan L. Lee
Director, Eurasia Nonproliferation Program
James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
Monterey Institute of International Studies
460 Pierce Street
Monterey, CA 93940
T: (831) 647-3509 | F: (831) 647-3519
nonproliferation.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Social Networks Discussion Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Simone Gabbriellini
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2013 1:46 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [SOCNET] Fwd: viral marketing

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Hello everybody,

I have just stumbled upon this paper: "A Scalable Heuristic for Viral Marketing Under the Tipping Model" by Paulo Shakarian, Sean Eyre and Damon Paulo.

http://arxiv.org/abs/1309.2963

I am just curious to see if someone has any comment on how to interpret the (journalistic) claim "Military Scientists Solve the Fundamental Problem of Viral Marketing"?

http://www.technologyreview.com/view/519361/us-military-scientists-solve-the-fundamental-problem-of-viral-marketing/

All the best,
Simone

--
Simone Gabbriellini, PhD

PostDoc@DISI, University of Bologna
mobile: +39 340 39 75 626
email: [log in to unmask]
academia.edu: http://goo.gl/7pq62

DigitalBrains srl
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