The Web can be naturally modeled as a directed graph, consisting of a set of abstract nodes (the pages) joined by directional edges (the hyperlinks). Hyperlinks encode a considerable amount of latent information about the the underlying collection of pages; thus, the structure of this directed graph can provide us with significant insight into its content. Within this framework, we can search for signs of meaningful graph-theoretic structure; we can ask: What are the recurring patterns of linkage that occur across the Web as a whole? The profound complexity of the WWW is a crucial challenge in this search for structure. Content on the Web is being created by millions of autonomous participants, a group that includes multinational corporations, government agencies, academic researchers and students, and individual AOL subscribers. The variability in the content and in its quality is infinitely greater than what we encounter in more traditional media. Faced with these problems, we can ad...
Jon M. Kleinberg