The Small Worlds of Wikipedia: Implications for Growth, Quality and Sustainability of Collaborative Knowledge Networks.

摘要: This work is a longitudinal network analysis of the interaction networks Wikipedia, free, user-led collaborativelygenerated online encyclopedia. Making case for representing Wikipedia as knowledge network, and using lens contemporary graph theory, we attempt to unravel its creation process growth dynamics over time. Typical small-world characteristics short path-length high clustering have important theoretical implications networks. We show Wikipedia’s nature be increasing time, while also uncovering power laws assortative mixing. Investigating by which an apparently un-coordinated, diversely motivated swarm assorted contributors, create maintain remarkably quality content, find association between Quality Structural Holes. that few key degree, cluster spanning nodes ‘hubs’ hold growing together, discuss networks’ emergent quality.