Implicit affinity networks and social capital

Social networks are typically constructed based on explicit and well-defined relationships among individuals. In this paper, we describe another class of social networks, known as Implicit Affinity Networks (IANs), where links are implicit in the patterns of natural affinities among individuals. An effective mathematical formulation of social capital based on implicit and explicit connections is given. Results with two Web communities, one focused on people's interests and one focused on people's blogs, exhibit rich dynamics and show interesting patterns of community evolution.