Smith, Matthew S. "Social capital in online communities." Proceedings of the 2nd PhD workshop on Information and knowledge management. 2008.

This study aims to develop a novel mathematical model to quantify and optimize social capital within online communities. Recognizing the complex interplay between individual actions, network relationships, and the mobilization of social resources, this model seeks to evaluate the value of network nodes by considering not only their connections and attributes but also the social resources they control. Additionally, it will examine the costs of reciprocal connections among individuals. The ultimate goal is to offer a quantifiable approach to maximizing participation and leveraging social capital in social networks.