First up is a summary of the types that Bruce identifies:
- Primary: Massive followings, drive traffic & spread messages rapidly; Sometimes hard to gain access & understand how they got there in the first place
- Threader: Own postings can fluctuate, contribute to conversations, can bring knowledge and clarity; More likely to contribute on the fly
- Maker: Has an effect through production of content, ripples spread out through others; Sometimes appear not to engage
Harold Jarche, in his posts The work of many and Twitter and the law of the few, elaborates on the different players in a network identified in Malcolm Gladwell's work 'The Tipping Point':
- Salesperson: Influences people to take action; High Social Capital; Gain influence by knowing what people want
- Connector: Has many relationships; High Creative Capital; Gain influence by sharing with others
- Maven: Deep knowledge in a field; High Intellectual Capital; Can gain huge followings through reputation
Finally, Anatomy of a social network, a post from David Grey, cites the work of Ron Burt. This identifies two activities for creating value in a network:
- Brokerage: Developing weak ties, building bridges between clusters
- Closure: Developing strong ties, building trust within clusters
- Degree: Number of connections; Potential to interact & connect
- Closeness: Ease of making new connections; Potential to gain access
- Betweenness: Power of link between other nodes; Potential to block or grant access
So it looks like a great convergence of different viewpoints, that strengthens my own understanding:
Primary = Salesperson; High Closeness and Social Capital
Threader = Connector; High Degree and Creative Capital
Maker = Maven; High Betweenness and Intellectual Capital
Thanks to Bruce for getting me inspired :)
