The average number of links from one arbitrarily selected person to another was 4.74.
Scientists at Facebook and the University of Milan are adding a new chapter to the research that cemented the phrase “six degrees of separation” into the language. They have reported that the average number of acquaintances separating any two people in the world was not six but 4.74.
Continue reading… “4.74 degrees of separation – the world is smaller than you thought”
Hi there. Wanna chat? I’m hip, scruffy and funny.
Over the years, there’s been a radical change in the way we interact with our networks of friends online. It used to be that we had a few of our friends (online or offline friends) on a service, allowing us to connect to friends through the Internet and see what their activities were. Where the Internet used to be a somewhat scary world full of strangers, we suddenly had friendly anchors to explore that world with. Sure, most of our friends weren’t online, or at least not using the same services, but the familiarity was comforting and the ability to see what a few of our friends were doing allowed us to find new content and new friends.
We fell in love with sites that made us feel like there are people out there who are similar to us, who we are talking to and having common experiences with. But then, some of these networks — Facebook and Twitter in particular — began to grow explosively…
Continue reading… “The Social Network paradox”
With all the privacy issues surrounding Facebook, many people are considering quitting the site altogether. If you’re not ready to take it that far, here’s how to avoid the privacy breaches without completely deleting your account and losing touch with your friends…
Continue reading… “How to Quit Facebook Without Actually Quitting Facebook”
Everybody has a few people clogging up their social networking sites with frequent updates, annoying pictures, and general stupidity. But there’s often guilt about offing these former friends. Feel bad no more! These are the people you must ditch now.
Now, to be fair, you should probably consider your relationship with these people before you go deleting them from your electronic life. After all if it’s your partner, parent, boss, best friend, or the guy you’ve been seeing on and off for the last few years, they might notice what you did and take it as an affront. If you’re close enough to this person for them to notice you went out for a pack of eCigarettes and never came back, then it might be better to just have a talk with them about fixing their obnoxious internet behavior. Or you can do the passive aggressive thing and defriend them and then when they say “Yo, what’s up?” tell them that they suck. That works too.
If you know any of these people below, it’s time to cut the cord. Hopefully they’ll know what they did…
Continue reading… “The Eight Types of People to Unfollow on Twitter or Defriend on Facebook”
A Web site based in New Jersey that allows users to “rent a friend” for platonic outings said it has 1,200 paying members.
RentAFriend.com founder Scott Rosenbaum said the site, which started up five months ago, boasts 108,000 friends for rent and 1,200 customers paying $24.95 a month to browse the profiles.
Continue reading… “Web Site Offers ‘Friends’ For Rent”
Dogs have always been known as man’s best friend, so why can’t animals have best friends of their own?
Friends create great motivation for losing weight
Heading to the gym? Well, don’t forget to take along your friend, for a new study has claimed that exercising with a partner boosts weight loss. To reach that conclusion, Professor Shiriki Kumanyika and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, conducted the two-year trial. The study included 344 men and women.
Continue reading… “Study: Exercise with a Friend to Boost Additional Weight Loss”
Are you a social butterfly, or do you prefer being at the edge of a group of friends? Either way, your genes and evolution may play a major role, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
Continue reading… “Genes Play A Major Role In How Many Friends You Have”
A new study conducted by the University of Utah found that cell phones are more of a distraction than anything else for drivers.
Continue reading… “Cell Phones Are Biggest Distraction For Drivers”
Miss having the companionship of a furry friend, but don’t have the life circumstances that allow you to have one of your own?
Continue reading… “Flexpetz: Rent A Dog You Can Love But Only Part Time”
Nearly all American women office workers say they like or love this major player in their lives, even if it causes many of them pain, a study showed Monday.
Continue reading… “Women Office Workers Prefer Computers To Their Significant Other”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.