One of the challenges you face when you start a new weblog is attracting an audience. Who is going to gather the pearls of wisdom that you offer to the world? It’s not that hard these days to find somebody you know who already has a weblog and would be willing to link to you; at the very least, by now your mom probably has a weblog and would be willing to do you a favor. But what then? How do you grow your audience beyond your circle of acquaintances? How do you get people who don’t know you to link to you?
Sociologist Mark Granovetter provides a clue in his oft-quoted classic paper “The Strength of Weak Ties.” (more…)