A measure of Online Social Networks

Online Social Networks (OSN) command a user base of about half a billion users on the Internet. Although the traffic contribution in bytes by OSNs is significantly less than earlier applications responsible for dramatic increase on the Internet (such as peer-to-peer networks), OSNs have already had a profound impact on the Internet. The organic growth in the sheer volume of users, the range and diversity of application run using OSNs as a distribution platform, and the wide range of new technologies underpinning their growth, all portend an enduring effect as well. While there are similarities to earlier phenomena, there are numerous differences due to some properties unique to OSNs. This paper enumerates interesting properties, the methodologies used to study them, and the challenges faced by researchers in measuring ONSs. A few results from resent studies my colleagues and I have been involved in are also presented.