Changing networks
At its simplest, evolutionary graph theory deals with the future of a network and the individuals that live at its nodes when the network begins to evolve and its individuals start moving, mutating and influencing their neighbours. A network can evolve in two ways: either individual nodes evolve while the network stays the same (a new strain of flu enters a population; one person gets 10 friends to vote for Obama), or the network itself changes (as continents drift, they separate subpopulations of the same species; someone makes 10 new friends on Facebook).
“People sometimes think of networks in terms of a concept called a replicator,” Lieberman says. “A replicator is an entity, be it an organism, a computer virus, or even an idea, that can somehow make copies of itself. Networks are a way of thinking about where the new copy can go.”
It wasn’t a big surprise when evolutionary graph theory found applications in biology, which abounds with these replicators. One context where it has been applied is the study of cancer.
Lieberman explains it like this: “A really crude way of thinking about cancer is that cancer cells are ordinary cells that reproduce too fast. When you frame it that way, you see that cancer is an evolutionary problem: what makes an individual cell fitter (reproducing a lot) makes the organism a lot less fit (death from cancer). Natural selection at the level of the cell is in conflict with natural selection at the level of the organism.”
“By severely restricting cellular reproduction to a small collection of cells called stem cells, the human body actually reconfigures its own network in a way that dramatically weakens natural selection at the cellular level. This enables the organism to survive without cancer for far longer.”
But now evolutionary graph theorists are beginning to think about applications beyond biology. After all, the theory applies to replicators, things that somehow manage to make copies of themselves. But no one says that to be a replicator, you have to be alive.
Enter web-based social networking. On websites such as Facebook and MySpace, networks evolve as people influence one another (changing the configuration of the nodes) and as new friendships are made (changing the network as a whole). Sites such as these are just teeming with replicators. “Vampires”, a Facebook application, can spread as easily as the flu: when people “bite” their friends, the “Vampires” app gets passed along the friendship network.
Evolutionary graph theorists have already begun to make progress. “One of the interesting things we’ve found about social networks is that the presence of network structure can give rise to pro-social behaviours,” says Lieberman.
“This is an idea now called ‘network reciprocity’. There’s an inverse relationship between the number of connections you have in the network and the extent to which you’ll ’stick your neck out’ for them: the ties that bind are tighter if there are fewer ties.”
While we are connecting with more and more people online everyday, how do we make sure those connections matter? These are my thoughts –
1. Meet offline. Go to conferences, tweetups and invite people home! Conferences are a great way to meet people. They connect people at an intellectual level (faster way to connect than at an emotional level) and help seed long term connections. Real life meetings also really help me tell the fake from the real people. And then, I meet all these people who are just so warm and wonderful, but do not happen to be star tweeters. And then, a bunch of online celebrities are really nothing spectacular when I meet them IRL. Real life is good. A great way to create good quality relationships.
2. Connect within a context – I am a person that CANNOT connect without a context. I will not go drinking with a bunch of people unless I have something else connect me with them besides the booze 
Within a context, I am able to be passionate, real and myself.
3. Think of networking as mingling and chatting. That way, you keep it real and keep the sales pitch out. on the other hand, networking isn’t a bad word unless you are genuine and you really care for others.The people that will matter in the long run – both in your life and in your business are people who have a sense of respect for you, for themselves and for life in general.
4. Finally, understand that you will never be able to talk to everyone. So do not try to do that. Get smart and find ways to scale yourself through the value you add in the lives of people. Mentor people, host events, enable others and find ways to impact people over the long term.
How do YOU maintain quality connections? How many people would YOU stick your neck out for? Are you making sure they know that?