May
26
The Marketing of Network Science
May 26, 2006 |
Theories of Communication Networks
Evolution and Structure of the Internet : A Statistical Physics Approach
At the NetSci workshop it was brought to our attention that the covers of both, Alessandro Vespignani’s and Noshir Contractor’s, books on network theory were remarkably alike. Let me add to this list the new Newman, Barabasi, and Watts tome The Structure and Dynamics of Networks.
The Structure and Dynamics of Networks: (Princeton Studies in Complexity)
Some marketing practitioners would suggest that this type of consistency is a good thing. They would argue that it promotes a strong ‘brand identity’. It occurs to me, however, if people were to judge these books, literally, by their covers, they might mistake them for astronomy books. Then, again, Network Science might become known as a “Goth” science. People would begin to imagine practitioners with pale faces, multiple piercings, and all-black garb.
In an attempt to make Network theory books seem a little more ’sexy’, perhaps cover designers might depict networks as being a little more dynamic. It might even make sense to forego the literal depiction and come up with book covers that are a little more evocative in nature. 
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