One of the best ways of learning how to think about dynamic human networks (they are messy and complex) is by exploring a relevant set of data with a fun and easy-to-use tool.  I have written a “simple” visualization program using NetLogo to visualize publication networks from ISI’s Web of Science, which I call visualizing invisible colleges or just vic.  Here’s a tutorial on how to get it working on your computer.

Why are publication networks relevant?   Citation networks and publication information are ideal for both domain experts and anyone searching a topic.  If, for example, you’re interested in autism then where do you start?  Delving into the topic via the social organization of the topic is a great strategy compared to a blinking cursor search.  The social organization of knowledge may not necessarily reflect the content of a domain, of course, but searching and sorting information by structure has huge potential for making searches fun and robust (i.e. Web 2.0).