The network effects of recommending social connections

Social networking sites have begun to be used in the enterprise as a method of connecting employees. Recommender systems may be used to recommend social contacts in order to increase user engagement, encourage collaboration and facilitate expertise discovery. This paper evaluates the effects of four recommendation algorithms on the network as a whole and the social structure. We demonstrate that depending on the basis of the recommendation algorithm the effects on the network vary greatly and their potential impact should be understood. It is hoped this research can be used as guidance for future recommendation algorithms. Copyright 2010 ACM.