5o5a, thanks for the applications! I checked them out, and you’re right, they are very nice :)

Miss Meow, actually, it only took me around 1.5 hours complete with the illustrations and all :P

Nas, thanks for the compliment :) And you in particular always add a great layer when you share your input. I honestly never thought of this exercise as a reflection of degrees of separation, although you’re quite right. Remember the facebook experiment group with that a few years ago?
The interesting thing about the web circle that just occurred to me from your comment is what makes it very flexible. We are all brought together by a specific, niche interest, although our lifestyles and interests beyond this niche are very diverse. That pretty much results in overlapping of other circles (reflecting on my previous post “The Seven People You Meet in Amman”.)
It’s interesting though that this niche is widening, and becoming much less of a niche. Five years ago, ANY blogger was automatically an acquaintance, a person with shared interests. This is now changing.
The circle is expanding in the sense that there are more people in it, but it’s definitely not staying tight-knit. What do you think?

Mo, people thought I was older before I got married :) I guess I am just too much of a bullshitter for my age? :)

Montauk, well, I am the kind of person who thinks the more the merrier when it comes to friends. Are you German? I love arguing with my German friends as to how long you need to know someone to consider them a friend. My idea? Five fricking minutes! :)

well it goes without saying that you’ve outdone yourself once again with one of the most creative posts i’ve ever seen, and i don’t mean just on the jordanian blogosphere but on the web.

that said, allow me to join you in the phalsapha.

we all know the theory of two degrees of separation, and this post got me thinking about it. but your focus was on looking for things in common with each of the people in the different circles, when in reality, everyone of them will likely share at least one single thing in common with you, and with every single friend that they share with you.

take for instance my case. we share the web in common. i’m a blogger and you’re a blogger. the friends we have in common probably all share that as well. we’re both jordanian bloggers, so the circle grows a bit smaller and tighter. because we operate in that circle, we probably do (or will) evolve to share other circles in common, such as work – given that we know the same people (in that web circle).

the more we operate in one environment, especially if its a very, very specific environment, then the more likely we will have friends in common, and more importantly, the more likely there’s a chance for more circles to evolve.

you and hala start as web friends, as bloggers, and you share those people in common. but then you meet and discover your mutual love for shoes, and this automatically draws in more people to the expanding circle. then you become real life friends, and that means your mutual friends are drawn in to that circle. you attend the same events..bigger circle. you run in the same circles…bigger circle. and so forth. the environment grows tighter, the circle expands.

and then there are those who we don’t know well at all but one big thing in common leads us to a foray of other people who we have only one thing in common. and so forth.

facebook simple shows us how two degrees of serparation really works in a visual way. it shows us that evolution.

you’re next project should be about twitter…who follows you > who you follow > who they follow.