Social network analysis

1. A system for displaying search results of a search of a personal communication network, the personal communication network including a plurality of members, the system comprising:

at least one processor programmed to:

gather explicit personal-communication-network data from information entered on the personal communication network;

gather implicit personal-communication-network data from activities conducted on the personal communication network, wherein the implicit personal-communication-network data includes historical data describing interactions of the personal-communication-network members within the personal communications network;

search the gathered explicit and implicit personal-communication-network data for a key word or phrase identified by a party conducting the search to identify at least one personal-communication-network member related to the key word or phrase, wherein the search includes making inferences about at least one personal-communication-network member based upon the key word or phrase; and

display results of the search by:

showing the at least one personal-communication-network member that is identified by the search;

showing how the party conducting the search is linked to the at least one personal-communication-network member identified by the search by visually depicting the degree of separation in the personal communication network between the party conducting the search and the at least one personal-communication-network member; and

showing at least one field of interest linking the party conducting the search to the at least one personal-communication-network member identified by the search.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to:

display the results of the search by visually illustrating a complete social-network path in the personal communication network between the party conducting the search and the at least one personal-communication-network member identified by the search.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to:

classifying the at least one personal-communication-network member that is identified by the search as an opinion leader or innovator in a field of interest based at least in part on inferences made about the at least one personal-communication-network member, the inferences based upon the gathered explicit and implicit personal-communication-network data; and

indicate in the results whether a personal-communication-network member identified in the results is an opinion leader or innovator in a field of interest based upon the classifying.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the classifying involves a relative comparison of a personal-communication-network member's quantity of personal-communication-network memberships within the field of interest to another personal-communication-network member's quantity of personal-communication-network memberships within the field of interest.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to:

indicate in the results a relationship between the party conducting the search and the at least one personal-communication-network member that is identified by the search or a relationship between the party conducting the search and an author of the at least one personal-communication-network communication that is identified by the search;

wherein the relationship is determined by a search of at least one of the gathered explicit and implicit personal-communication-network data and is expressed in terms of degrees of separation to the party conducting the search.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the results are displayed in a tabular form, wherein the tabular form has at least one horizontal row and at least one vertical column wherein the at least one row shows a personal-communication-network path from the party conducting the search to the at least one personal-communication-network member, and the at least one column shows the degrees of separation between the at least one personal-communication-network member and the party conducting the search.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the personal communication network includes a plurality of nodes representing the personal-communication-network members, each of the plurality of nodes connected to another node in the personal-communication-network by a communication link, the communication link specifically labeled with a field of interest between the corresponding nodes, and wherein the implicit and explicit personal-communication-network data is gathered from communication links by and among members of the personal communication network.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of:

the implicit personal-communication-network data is based upon a quantity of personal communication-network keyword or name searches that list the member in the search results; and

the implicit personal-communication-network data is based upon the number of times that other personal-communication-network members access the member's profile.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the implicit personal-communication-network data relates to personal-communication-network keyword searching that the personal communication-network members have performed.

10. A computer implemented method for displaying search results of a search of a personal communication network, the personal communication network including a plurality of members, the method comprising:

gathering explicit personal-communication-network data from information entered on the personal communication network;

gathering implicit personal-communication-network data from activities conducted on the personal communication network, wherein the implicit personal-communication-network data includes historical data describing interactions of the personal-communication-network members within the personal communications network;

searching the gathered explicit and implicit personal-communication-network data for a key word or phrase identified by a party conducting the search to identify at least one personal-communication-network member related to the key word or phrase, wherein the search includes making inferences about at least one personal-communication-network member based upon the key word or phrase; and

displaying results of the search by showing the at least one personal-communication-network member that is identified by the search, showing how the party conducting the search is linked to the at least one personal-communication-network member identified by the search, and showing at least one field of interest linking the party conducting the search to the at least one personal-communication-network member identified by the search;

wherein the personal communication network includes a plurality of nodes representing the personal-communication-network members, each of the plurality of nodes connected to another node in the personal-communication-network by an explicitly defined communication link, wherein the implicit and explicit personal-communication-network data is gathered from communication links by and among members of the personal communication network.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to:

display the results of the search by visually illustrating a complete social-network path in the personal communication network between the party conducting the search and the at least one personal-communication-network member identified by the search.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to:

classifying the at least one personal-communication-network member that is identified by the search as an opinion leader or innovator in a field of interest based at least in part on inferences made about the at least one personal-communication-network member, the inferences based upon the gathered explicit and implicit personal-communication-network data; and

indicate in the results whether a personal-communication-network member identified in the results is an opinion leader or innovator in a field of interest based upon the classifying.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to:

indicate in the results a relationship between the party conducting the search and the at least one personal-communication-network member that is identified by the search or a relationship between the party conducting the search and an author of the at least one personal-communication-network communication that is identified by the search;

wherein the relationship is determined by a search of at least one of the gathered explicit and implicit personal-communication-network data and is expressed in terms of degrees of separation to the party conducting the search.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least one of:

the implicit personal-communication-network data is based upon a quantity of personal communication-network keyword or name searches that list the member in the search results; and

the implicit personal-communication-network data is based upon the number of times that other personal-communication-network members access the member's profile.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the implicit personal-communication-network data relates to personal-communication-network keyword searching that the personal communication-network members have performed.

16. One or more processors programmed to perform a method for displaying search results of a search of a personal communication network, the personal communication network including a plurality of members, the method comprising:

gathering explicit personal-communication-network data from information entered on the personal communication network;

gathering implicit personal-communication-network data from activities conducted on the personal communication network, wherein the implicit personal-communication-network data includes historical data describing interactions of the personal-communication-network members within the personal communications network;

searching the gathered explicit and implicit personal-communication-network data for a key word or phrase identified by a party conducting the search to identify at least one personal-communication-network member related to the key word or phrase, wherein the search includes making inferences about at least one personal-communication-network member based upon the key word or phrase; and

displaying results of the search by showing the at least one personal-communication-network member that is identified by the search, showing how the party conducting the search is linked to the at least one personal-communication-network member identified by the search, and showing at least one field of interest linking the party conducting the search to the at least one personal-communication-network member identified by the search;

wherein the personal communication network includes a plurality of nodes representing the personal-communication-network members, each of the plurality of nodes connected to another node in the personal-communication-network by an explicitly defined communication link, wherein the implicit and explicit personal-communication-network data is gathered from communication links by and among members of the personal communication network.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium carrying software which contains one or more processors to perform a method for displaying search results of a search of a personal communication network, the personal communication network including a plurality of members, the method comprising:

gathering explicit personal-communication-network data from information entered on the personal communication network;

gathering implicit personal-communication-network data from activities conducted on the personal communication network, wherein the implicit personal-communication-network data includes historical data describing interactions of the personal-communication-network members within the personal communications network;

searching the gathered explicit and implicit personal-communication-network data for a key word or phrase identified by a party conducting the search to identify at least one personal-communication-network member related to the key word or phrase, wherein the search includes making inferences about at least one personal-communication-network member based upon the key word or phrase; and

displaying results of the search by showing the at least one personal-communication-network member that is identified by the search, showing how the party conducting the search is linked to the at least one personal-communication-network member identified by the search, and showing at least one field of interest linking the party conducting the search to the at least one personal-communication-network member identified by the search;

wherein the personal communication network includes a plurality of nodes representing the personal-communication-network members, each of the plurality of nodes connected to another node in the personal-communication-network by an explicitly defined communication link, wherein the implicit and explicit personal-communication-network data is gathered from communication links by and among members of the personal communication network.

18. A system for displaying search results of a search of a personal communication network, the personal communication network including a plurality of members, the system comprising:

at least one processor programmed to:

gather personal-communication-network data from information entered on the personal communication network and activities conducted on the personal communication network, wherein implicit personal-communication-network data includes historical data describing interactions of the personal-communication-network members within the personal communications network;

search the gathered personal-communication-network data for a key word or phrase identified by a party conducting the search to identify at least one personal-communication-network member related to the key word or phrase; and

display results of the search by:

showing the at least one personal-communication-network member that is identified by the search;

showing how the party conducting the search is linked to the at least one personal-communication-network member identified by the search by visually depicting the degree of separation in the personal communication network between the party conducting the search and the at least one personal-communication-network member; and

showing at least one field of interest linking the party conducting the search to the at least one personal-communication-network member identified by the search;

wherein the personal communication network includes a plurality of nodes representing the personal-communication-network members, each of the plurality of nodes connected to another node in the personal-communication-network by an explicitly defined communication link, wherein the implicit and explicit personal-communication-network data is gathered from communication links by and among members of the personal communication network.

19. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to show how the party conducting the search is linked to the at least one personal-communication-network member by showing a full social-network path between the party conducting the search and the at least one personal-communication-network member.

20. The method of claim 10 , further including displaying results of the search by visually depicting the degree of separation in the personal communication network between the party conducting the search and the at least one personal-communication-network member.