Expressions of Relationships

These are my rough notes of what is being written on the flip chart during the VRM meeting breakout on 2006-01-25.

Relationships vs. Expressions

• Relationships v. Expressions (PDF)

Types of Relationships

• marriage
• business partnership
• counselor
• subscription
• friendship
• family
• membership
• fanboy
• contract
• employment
• confucian
• mentor / advisor
• citizenship
• blacklist
• champion
• familiar stranger
• colleague
• teacher
• stalker
• neighbor
• patron
• customer
• vendor
• circle of trust
• sponsor
• priest / shaman / rabbi / ...
• advocate
• alumni
• nemesis
• cohorts
• shared experience
• enemy

Expressions of Relationships

You know it is a relationship when ...

• there are implications for the future
• expectations
• recognition
• subscription
• payment
• tipping
• genealogy
• hate sites
• strong feelings
• recommend
• contract
• employment
• ask advice
• expose yourself to vulnerability ("trust")
• blacklist
• conversation
• stalking
• repeat patronage
• badmouth
• reliance
• federation
• referral/introduction
• sponsor
• invite
• rebuff
• evaluate
• hug / PDA
• advocate
• commenting (e.g. blogs)
• give gifts
• find
• respond
• keep apprised
• request
• extend credit
• support
• vouch
• shared experience
• having coffee
• conferences

Dimensions

• Time
• Transparency
• Intensity
• Frequency
• Commitment
• Control
• Potential to real
• Latent to explicit
• Reciprocity
• Symmetry
• Frequency of interaction
• Cardinality

Some interesting questions / thoughts

• Are we presuming that relationships are bidirectional? (e.g. crush) No ...
• Relationships are not boolean -- there is a degree, e.g. very close vs. "have heard of some guy.."
• Law/lawyers as a source of a relationship taxonomy
• Confucianism as a source of relationship taxonomy
• A social network that doesn't allow you to include your enemies isn't worth having.