Friendly immunization…

Let’s do a little cosmetic surgery on this idea.

Reuven Cohen of Bar-Ilan University in Israel and his colleagues note that random immunization programs require that a large fraction of the population, typically 80 to 90 percent, be protected in order to stop the spread of disease. Alternatively, if enough information about the network and its connections is known, targeted immunization of the most highly connected individuals–so-called super-spreaders, who have the potential to infect a high number of people–can be effective. Unfortunately, such information is difficult to acquire. The researchers instead propose a tactic known as acquaintance immunization. In it, a percentage of the population is selected at random and asked to identify a friend. Those friends, in turn, are vaccinated. According to the team’s calculations, because super-spreaders know so many people, there is a high probability that they will be named at least once. As a result, immunization of a much smaller fraction of the population can successfully halt disease transmission.

Now I’m just going to change a few words.

Reuven Cohen of Bar-Ilan University in Israel and his colleagues note that random advertising requires that a large fraction of the population, typically 80 to 90 percent, be contacted in order to spread an idea. Alternatively, if enough information about the network and its connections is known, targeted advertising to the most highly connected individuals–so-called super-spreaders, who have the potential to infect a high number of people–can be effective. Unfortunately, such information is difficult to acquire. The researchers instead propose a tactic known as acquaintance advertising. In it, a percentage of the population is selected at random and asked to identify a friend. Those friends, in turn, are targetted for advertising. According to the team’s calculations, because super-spreaders know so many people, there is a high probability that they will be named at least once. As a result, advertising to a much smaller fraction of the population can successfully spread ideas.

(Those of you who read this blog regularly — skip the next sentence.) Yet more evidence that, since we catch so many ideas/products from our peers, blogs are brilliant hubs to advertise on, right?

(Quote taken an article on Scientific American with hat tip to Biz Stone.)