Friends, family and social belonging as we age

Social Systems: Can We Do More Than Just Poke Friends?

Social sites have become extremely popular among users but have they attracted equal attention from the research community? Are they good only for simple tasks, such as tagging and poking friends? Do they present any new or interesting research challenges? In this paper, we describe the insights we have obtained implementing CourseRank, a course evaluation and planning social system. We argue t...

We all need friends

We all need friends T he idea that the intestinal content can cause a number of physical and psychological ailments is very old (1). Remedies to clean the bowel were used in ancient Egypt, probably inspired by the peculiar behaviour of the ibis bird, as stated by Plinius (23Á79 A.D.): 'The bird which is called the ibis and which is a native of Egypt, by means of its hooked beak, laves the insid...

The family as a social support system in old age.

The cultures and the subcultures of a society define both the needs of its members and the ways in which these needs are to be met. The changes in cultures which have accompanied industrialization and urbanization have affected the relationships among family members, irrespective of their ages. This is not solely because of changes in the living arrangements of families which often accompany th...

Financing from Family and Friends∗

We present two models in which a family investor differs from a non-family investor only in that she has an altruistic relationship with the entrepreneur who seeks financing. We show that because of this single difference, family finance is a source of trust capital whereas formal finance is a source of risk capital. Both deepen the financial market. Family finance has two drawbacks: Risk remai...

To my family and friends