Irregular Times Diaries: Unfit Discussion
In a time of the spring, old paths are obscured and new growth begins.
Irregular Times Diaries: Unfit DiscussionIn a time of the spring, old paths are obscured and new growth begins.
I would like to create a database of people who are connected. These people are the ones who feature in our press. These people seem “connected” and seem to have special treatment. People like Cherie Blairs relations and friends or Tony Blairs relations and friends.
It would be very interesting to find out information about these people as they are at the top of the tree in our society. We could use them as role models or hate models depending on your particular system of values.
I would like this database to be a visual one with little spidersweb joining each one to others.
Just how connected are the likes of Paris Hilton and Gordon Brown
The people connected through business would be interesting.
What do you think of this idea. I will be able to contribute to the computing aspect in June (presently enrolled in a study course) but require a connected person to supply the content.
(166 votes, average: 3.16 out of 5)
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March 8th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
It’s a good idea, and something that Jim is sort of developing on the main Irregular Times blog with his profiles of the powerful moneyed insiders behind Unity08. I do have to say, however, that we’re not really connected kinds of people here at Irregular Times.
March 8th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Andrew, you have a good question in mind. What you’re thinking of is something called “Social Network Analysis.” Read Hanneman’s online text for a primer on it.
The first thing you’ll want to think of is “operational” — that is, how you’ll measure your network (the “spiderweb” you refer to). How will you define who is included in your study, and how will you define a “connection”? Be sure that the way you define the people and the connections is specific enough that it gives you something concrete you can measure.
An online (although outdated) version of something like what you seem to be interested in is TheyRule.
You seem to be a college student, which would mean you have access to journal databases. You might want to read an article in Social Science Quarterly (83 (3), 726–744) by SUNY Albany’s Gwen Moore et al, 2002: “Elite Interlocks in Three U.S. Sectors: Nonprofit, Corporate, and Government.”