Say What?
etwork theorists use a whole new vocabulary to describe the way people behave in networks. Like networks themselves, the lexicon is fluid and ever-morphing. Here's a rundown of some basic network concepts and their general definitions.
- Nodes: The actors, or points, on a network. A node can form connections with any and all other nodes on the network.
- Centrality: The degree to which a node connects other nodes. For example, a node that connects six unconnected nodes is a central node.
- Boundary spanners: Nodes that have connections between groups. An FBI agent with many friends at the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Immigration and Naturalization Service would be a boundary spanner among the three organizations.
- Self-synchronization: The ability of low-level groups to coordinate and act without going through a central authority.
- Swarming: The act of attacking a target from many different directions, using many different means, often making a force appear larger than it is.
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