Social Networks capture known relationships between individuals.
But, how are those relationships formed? Websites like MySpace allow
members to explore friend-of-a-friend networks to establish new
relationships. In contrast, matchmaking websites utilize compatibility of
individuals along certain dimensions to propose new relationships. We
suggest that the two notions can be integrated to develop a system that
proposes new relationships based on known attributes of individuals,
allowing members to grow their social network based on affinities with other
members. We explore both an ontology-based approach and a document-driven
approach to characterizing such affinities, and discuss how the concept
could be used to promote innovation in technical realms by assisting users
in identifying potential collaborators or customers for their technology.
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