The Lead

But social networking, now made considerably more efficient by social media, is an activity, and much of the process comes naturally (it is, after all, in our nature to socialize). But if you want to truly understand the nature of social networks and how they can be utilized to advantage, you have get under the hood and see what's going on in the those networks. And that, my friends, is the domain of Social Network Analysis.

Networks abound in nature, not just in human society. Networks of DNA make life possible. Networks of neurons in our brains make thought possible. Trading networks make commerce possible. And trophic networks in a marsh tell us which creatures are being eaten by which other creatures. The science of SNA has arisen in the last 20 years or so as the principal tool for studying the dynamics of networks, especially social networks. Sadly, for those of us in the PR dodge, SNA is taught mainly in graduate programs and is therefore beyond the scope of the usual undergraduate curriculum. And that's too bad, because SNA just might be one of the most powerful tools available for those of us who are regularly hired to use communication to "alter the probability patterns of behavior" in the publics of interest to our employers. Why so? Because once a network is defined and can be analyzed, it becomes possible to draw inferences from the patterns of connection between "actors" within the network. Obviously, the inferences of principal interest are those regarding influence and behavior. Analysis of the network thereby makes it possible to design communicative activities that are likely to be more effective because they can be targeted to capitalize on key elements of the network's structure. A fundamental theorem of SNA says that within any network the relational ties of actors are primary and the structural attributes of actors (the age, sex, and ethnicity of persons; the size and reputation of companies; etc.) are secondary. A person's (or firm's) network ties are a more accurate predictor of future behavior than any other attributes.

That said, the task ahead is to "operationalize" SNA for use in public relations. The US military has taken the lead in putting SNA to work, and this has greatly improved its recent successes in counter-insurgency operations in Iraq. Using SNA, the military identifies insurgent networks, defines their "density," discovers who are the "connectors" and who display "centrality" and "betweenness" characteristics in the network. Those folks are then "taken out," destroying or diminishing the effectiveness of the insurgent group. (To see how the military does it, follow this link and go to Appendix E.) The same techniques can be applied in determining the principal targets for communicative programs in benign networks. But it's not easy -- yet.

Naturally, those who get there first will reap the most fees. That should be an incentive."