In discussing the nature of the Internet and its network of interconnected nodes, Barabási distinguishes hubs as the most important feature of a network that shortens the paths between any two nodes. He finds that these hubs “dominate the structure of all networks in which they are present, making them look like small worlds…[because] with links to an unusually large number of nodes, hubs create short paths between any two nodes in the system” (64). Within our own project, I think it is important that we keep these ideas in mind while creating our map of Somerville. In order to be most thorough and time-efficient, I think we should approach our mapping more strategically: we should first identify the “hubs” within our own network (for example, LCS would be one within Tufts student groups). Once we have identified the most significant ones, each of us could become an expert on a specific “hub,” obtaining all relevant information (such as all those organizations that are linked to it within one step). As Barabási claims, the hubs are “ubiquitous, a generic building block of our complex, interconnected world” (63). In that sense, identifying the major “hubs” that will be included on our map first will greatly facilitate the process of finding nodes as well as classifying the different links between them.
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I definitely agree with Zoe here. After reading Barbasi's arguments as to the importance of hubs in the Internet as a whole, I think it's a good idea to keep them in mind for our smaller-scale project. Hubs would be a great way to keep the map organized as well as make it a bit easier to navigate for people completely new to the map. We already seem to have a few hubs forming - Tisch College, Community Action Agency of Somerville - but at this point it's basically any node that already has a number of links. What I wonder is, is there a way to create various hubs based on different sub-categories, even if the hub itself isn't a specific organization or person? For example, could there be a hub labeled "Health Care" that links to all the nodes the fall under that category, even though "health Care" isn't a specific organization? I guess my basic idea is to use these hubs as folders, almost, so that any node on the map remotely related could be found in one, neat, easy to find spot. Just an idea...
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