Volunteers needed to study natural social networks

The Natural Networks Project:

Volunteers are needed to:

1) Inform us about naturally occurring social networks in Chicago,
And/Or
2) Conduct ethnographic field observation of social network settings:

These social networks should:

• Share a geographic setting
• Have a frequency of member participation
• Not be known to be formed from planned organization

On June 7, 2009, 12 submissions that are articulate and meet this criterion will be randomly selected. Of these, a money stipend of $150 will be provided to volunteers upon completion of an initial training scheduled for June 18, 2009, no less than 12 observation sessions of the social network in its setting with completed forms (and when necessary, randomly sampled statistical surveys), and a follow-up debriefing. The training will be given to those that choose to participate and to those that have been randomly selected to observe and document key social variables. Frequent mentoring throughout the 6-8 week cycle will assist the volunteer to maintain consistency in collecting data.

Research emphasis will focus on group size variation, social density measuring techniques, and how social capital is exchanged, among other cultural characteristics.

To apply or to describe a naturally occurring social network in Chicago that you believe meet the above criterion, please complete the initial 20 question survey available at:

Website: http://naturalnetworks.info/
Email: NaturalNetworks@gmail.com
Mail: Natural Networks Project, 6167 North Broadway, #300, Chicago, Illinois 60660

The Natural Networks Project is a not-for-profit, privately-funded research project, and is not currently established as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.