Unbalanced social networks

In artificial social networks, we're all equal. Sure, some of us (Marc and Joi, in particular) may have way more contacts than the rest of us, but that fact has no official consequence - they don't get extra privileges, their recommendations don't count more, they don't get to cut to the front of the lunch line. I'm not saying they should. I'm just saying.

Some of the most interesting social networks I'm in are in fact formed around particular people, although these are primarily email networks. For example, I have people I count as friends because we are all "Jerry's Kids," i.e., we've all been to at least one real-world confab put together by Jerry Michalski; the mailing list is insanely active. And Chris Locke, despite his nom de plume being RageBoy, has gathered a group of people who know one another because we know Chris. Jerry and Chris are seed crystals. Real social groups form around them via email.

Artificial social networks seem to want to stay flat, whereas unconstrained, some of us are maypoles.