Six-degrees-of-Seperation Test in SL

I'd like to preform some type of "six degrees of seperation test" within SL, based on who has connections with whom.

Here's how it's done in real life- A group of volunteers (or randomly selected people) are asked to help send a message, email or package to a target person (usually a name and some identifiying characteristics). If they have no direct contact with that person, they forward the message to somone whom they think has a better chance of knowing the person. This keeps going until the "target" gets the message from someone he knows. Amazingly, it usually only takes about 5-7 people to reach the target- even if he's on the other side of the world!
Here's a recent example...

I'd like to try an expiriment like this in Second Life, but I'm not sure how to impliment it. Technically, you can reach anyone through an Instant Message, but the focus here is who knows who.

One way that may work:
I pick a target av and put 1-3 photos of him/her on a cube (plus a few identifying characteristics) . Participants (volunteers or chosen randomly) would be instructed to give the cube to an aquantance who would be more likely to know the target, and so on until it reaches the target. There'd probably have to be a counter or tracker in the cube to keep track of it's owners.
Anyone have any better (or more practical) ways to pull this off? Thanks in advance

Pass the cube only to people on your calling card list?

this sounds like fun! If you do end up doing it, count me in!

Intriguing idea! I'd be interested in giving it a whirl too

I've already experienced this sort of thing in here - a bit different but similar concept.

I call it "Friend Sets" - you got your main buddies you hang with, the folks you meet when you go out and about to events, people that are in the same group, folks you build, or create projects with and so forth.

There is some overlap of course between these friend sets, but it can be pretty interesting when you come across someone in one of your sets who has some sort of connection with another person in a set that you had no idea about.

Or better yet, meeting someone new, and eventually finding out that they are in the best buddy set of one of your club hoppin set folks.

Very cool!! I love collaborating on things, and it just widen's the circle of folks you get to know in here. I'd love to see what could happen with this idea!

I would recommend recreating Stanley Milgram's Small World Experiment as closely as you can.
You should create an object in world and distribute it to several individuals. Those individuals should then send the box to a person that they think might know that person, without using "Find" to look up any information.

The trick is the original experiment used a location (Cambridge, MA) and an occupation (divinity student) to help guide the senders. You'll have to come up with something similar as well. I would do the experiment twice. Once providing the volunteers with the name of the avatar and the second time providing a picture.

This would be a fascinating experiment. Let me know what the results are. Also, I volunteer to be one of the original seeds.

~Ulrika~

Does it have to be six-degrees?

I'd be up for it as well.

I'm guessing unless you're a n00b, you have probably at most 3 degrees of seperation.

That is indeed intriguing. I read awhile back about some experiment to transmit digital "STDs" (sexually transmitted diseases, not severe tire damage) online through some MMO worlds. Don't know if it applied to SL or not, nor do I have the specific article(s) on hand, but would like to see them again.

For anyone who's familiar with Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, which is an inspiration for Second Life -- and therefore, recommended prerequisite reading -- there is much in the book focusing on the aforementioned theme in regards to meme propagation. The Diamond Age also deals with a similar theme using a group of people called the Drummers.

lol -- I still don't understand why everyone thinks SL is inspired from SnowCrash.

Sorry, but that book was pretty lame.

/hijack

-- keep rockin torley.

ACK! I thought we're just passing along a prim with someone's picture on it. Plus, I thought that's why we have sheep.

I'm all for passing along LOL's. Or bitch slaps. Depending on the person.

That can be itneresting, although I'm not sure about what the ideal method would be.

B ut, don't pick Torley as target, it'd be too easy

This idea is great and I think a good way to keep track of this, or at least get an understanding of how it worked out would be to put a notecard (full rights) into the prim, and ask each subsequent owner to add to it why they are choosing the person they choose to pass it on to. Also it should be someone they know, not just "i have his calling card" as we all have cards of people we don't really know or class as "friends".

Good ideas, everyone!
Thanks for all the responses.

I think this is a great idea, and I would love to participate.

I always loved that concept of 6 Degrees...
I would love to help you !

What a neat idea!! Count me in for participation if you can use me!! Would love to help.

If we can use you? *Blush*

Actually a very cool Idea

You're in, Baccara (once I figure out how to launch this thing!)

And thanks to Taru, Brace, Torley, Ulrika, Oz, Rysidian, Zac, Tanaquil and Pendari for your interest and ideas.


BTW, after I started this thread I found that (in real life) there's a mere two people between me and Scott "Where's Laci?" Peterson! Yuck! (Why couldn't it be some nice celebrity or great artist?)

You know, I just realized, there's probably at most 2 degrees of separation between everyone in SL.

Suppose you get a cube, and you don't know who it is. Give it to Torley, and she will deliver it to the recipient

*blush*

... but if you give the cube to torley it beomes 1 degree because she'll hand right off to that person because she knows everyone

Count me in !

Sounds like a lot of fun.

I love the idea and would love to participate in it. and while I am sure that torly is a great person he is not always going to know everyone, I am pretty sure that we have not meet in SL life yet so he would give you no advatage. so there . I think the idea would be to only give it to some one you are a friend with not someone just on your callin card list.

sincery
Hunter R.

~vivat Grendal~

I'm in!

And I already use the Torley single-degree of freedom factor. If someone asks me for information about <random Second Life event/feature/famous person> and I don't know the answer, I always suggest they IM Torley!

And so far, she's always come through