ABSTRACT
Social network analysis conceives of social structure as the patterned organization of these network members and their relationships. The social network approach provides ways for analysts to think about social relationships that are neither groups nor isolated duets. This chapter considers the implications for computer-supported social networks of two opposing ideal types: dense, bounded groups and sparse, unbounded networks. Even more than the conceptualization of work, healthy communities has come to be viewed as densely knit, tightly bounded groups. Just as loosely coupled network forms of cooperative work have become prevalent in the Western world, sparsely knit, unbounded communities also flourish. Computer-mediated communication supports both dense, bounded groups and sparse, unbounded networks. Boundedness refers to the proportion of network members ties that stay within the boundaries of the social network. Range is a combination of network size and heterogeneity that together indicate how many different kinds of people are in a network.
