Homework Assignment
Ego-Network Inventory, Part 1

Description

As described in the Ego-Networks handout and the Social Support handout, an ego-network is the set of people that a given person (known as "ego") has ties with, plus the ties among those people. It looks like this:

Of course, a real ego network has a lot more people in it.

Your assignment is to write down your BC ego network. Here are the details:

1. Write down the full name of every BC student you know. By "know", I mean students that you've spoken to, know their name, and they know you too. If you don't know their first and last name, use a short identifier (e.g., Bob, the bouncer at Maryanne's).

2. Enter all the names into an Excel spreadsheet as follows:

It is crucial that you (a) type it in Excel, and (b) use the format above. The data you provide will be analyzed by computer, so all the datafiles must be identical in form. Don't add additional columns, nor extraneous notations or comments. Please use exactly one space between first and last names. Note that the first column is all the same: it is your name repeated over and over again. 

Note also that for a person's first name you should use the name that they are generally known by, not their given name. So if someone always introduces herself as "Beth", don't write down "Elizabeth". 

3. Email the file to me at borgatts@bc.edu as an attachment.

Please note that the names you mention will not necessarily be kept fully confidential. As part of the analysis, I will be looking at the intersections between people's ego networks, and will report some of those intersections to the class. If this is a problem for you, let me know and I will arrange an alternative assignment for you without any kind of penalty.