Blogs and the Strength of Weak Ties

A theoretical note on why blogs matter: The Strength of Weak Ties -- Jim Moore writes: "Why do blogs have such a large social influence, given that the total number of active bloggers is tiny relative to the number of human beings on the planet? Many years ago the sociologist Mark Granoveter wrote a seminal article on the special import of 'weak ties'--the links among people that are not closely bonded--as being critical for spreading ideas and for helping people join together for action."

You know what they say about six degrees of separation. Online, this happens when you discover other blogs because of the blogs you read. Then those blogs lead you to others, and so on and so forth.

But I wonder... Do blogs really have a large social influence? Maybe not in the Philippines. Unless, of course, such a blog affects an influential person in this country. Do such kinds of people-movers even bother reading blogs? Do they even surf?
[ First posted on 01/07/2004 by Manuel Viloria ]