News spreads. And how.

The way news – and rumours – spread in the world as we know it always fascinates me. That is why the diagram and the theory about the occurrence of the phenomenon on the Internet (and Blogspace), Stephen Van Dyke’s brainchild, was quite an education for me. http://stephenvandyke.com/2004/03/08/how-news-travels-on-the-internet/ To enjoy the intricacies of the graphic depiction in its full glory, view the big version at http://stephenvandyke.com/images/articles/153-how_news_travels_on_the_internet_infographic.gif. If you’re in a mood for more theory, look at The Blog Epidemic Analyzer (HP Information Dynamics Lab) http://www-idl.hpl.hp.com/blogstuff/index.htmlhttp:/www-idl.hpl.hp.com/blogstuff/index.html. Don’t skip the FAQ at http://www-idl.hpl.hp.com/blogstuff/faq.html#1 particularly #10. Why do bloggers kill kittens? This is a pithy – and witty – explanation of the trajectory of information in Blogspace using the authors’ own experience as an example. Amit Asaravala explains what rhe HP research is all about in his Wired article (Warning: Blogs Can Be Infectious). http://wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,62537,00.html.