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***** To join INSNA, visit http://www.insna.org ***** Charles- I understand brokers to be entities that already exist in the network (i.e, B controls the ability of C to communicate to A). Do the references you provided (thank you for them, by the way) discuss (for lack of a better term) "potential" brokers, as in "adding someone to the network between G and J would be better than adding someone between M and C"? Thanks. Michael On Jan 13, 2012, at 12:58 PM, Charles Kadushin wrote: > The concept of "broker" is what you are looking for. See the index > in my new book "Understanding Social Networks" for findings and > literature on brokers. > http://tinyurl.com/bmd2rto > > Classically, the first extended discussion of brokers is in > Boissevain, Jeremy. 1974. Friends of friends: Networks, manipulators > and coalitions. London: Basil Blackwell. No metrics, but lots of > good ideas. > > > > On 1/13/2012 1:31 PM, Michael Vitevitch wrote: >> >> ***** To join INSNA, visit http://www.insna.org ***** >> >> >> Dear SocNet-ers: >> >> I'm somewhat familiar with the work and measures developed by Burt >> on structural holes, and the work of Borgatti on "keyplayers." What >> I have not been able to find are references/software relevant to a >> related idea (perhaps because I'm not looking in the right area or >> with the right terms). Here is the similar, yet different issue I'm >> interested in: >> >> Imagine a network of faculty at a university, with edges connecting >> faculty with similar research interests. Instead of adding a link >> between two nodes, say A and B, that already exist (what I >> understand as the structural holes issue), I'm interested in being >> able to identify portions of the network that would be >> "strengthened" by or otherwise benefit from the addition of a *new* >> node that connects to two existing nodes in the network. This might >> be equivalent to hiring a new faculty member (X) to build >> collaborative relations between two existing nodes (A and B) rather >> than directly connecting A and B. I'm interesting in some sort of >> metric/measure to indicate that hiring X to "connect" A and B would >> yield more "benefits" (e.g., more resilient network, average path >> length decreases, etc.) than hiring Y who would "connect" A and F, >> for example. >> >> Pointers to literature on this issue and software that can identify >> such regions of a network would be greatly appreciated. >> >> Thanks for any assistance anyone can offer. >> Mike Vitevitch >> >> >> ______________________________ >> >> Michael S. Vitevitch, Ph.D. >> Associate Professor >> >> Department of Psychology >> 1415 Jayhawk Blvd. >> University of Kansas >> Lawrence, KS 66045 >> >> http://www.people.ku.edu/~mvitevit >> e-mail: [log in to unmask] >> voice: 785-864-9312 >> FAX: 785-864-5696 >> Fraser Hall Room 406 >> >> Spoken Language Laboratory >> Fraser Hall Room 011 >> 785-864-9484 >> >> Senior Associate Director >> University Honors Program >> Nunemaker Center >> Room 105 >> 785-864-4225 >> >> ______________________________ >> >> _____________________________________________________________________ >> SOCNET is a service of INSNA, the professional association for >> social network researchers (http://www.insna.org). To unsubscribe, >> send an email message to [log in to unmask] containing the line >> UNSUBSCRIBE SOCNET in the body of the message. > > -- > > Charles Kadushin > Distinguished Scholar, Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies > Visiting Research Professor Sociology > Brandeis University > > Telephone: 212-865-4369 > http://www.charleskadushin.com > http://www.brandeis.edu/cmjs/ ______________________________ Michael S. Vitevitch, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Psychology 1415 Jayhawk Blvd. University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 66045 http://www.people.ku.edu/~mvitevit e-mail: [log in to unmask] voice: 785-864-9312 FAX: 785-864-5696 Fraser Hall Room 406 Spoken Language Laboratory Fraser Hall Room 011 785-864-9484 Senior Associate Director University Honors Program Nunemaker Center Room 105 785-864-4225 ______________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ SOCNET is a service of INSNA, the professional association for social network researchers (http://www.insna.org). To unsubscribe, send an email message to [log in to unmask] containing the line UNSUBSCRIBE SOCNET in the body of the message.