Alumni Leader: a member of an Alumni Network who has a large number of friends or admirers within a given network.

Alumni Networks: relationships of friendship and/or admiration that exist between the alumni of an institution.

Community: a group of individuals aggregated for similar interests; also known as a target audience.

Connections: links between network members, representing the relationships between them.

Connector: a network member who plays a unique structural role in that they serve as the bridge between various members of the network. Connectors are nominated by their peers and are also participants in the research.

Cross-Connectors: a network member that grows the network; this person is an information source and a link across distinct types of people.

Decision Networks: relationships of advice-seeking pertinent to making a critical decision; a subset of Influence Networks.

Influence Networks: relationships of trust and advice-seeking identified within a community relative to a particular topic.

Key Network Member: a node (person) who holds strong strategic position within a network: possesses the ability to reach large portions of the network, bridges disparate groups, viewed as a trusted advisor, etc.

Network Member: a node (person) within a network.

Networks: an association of individuals having a common interest, formed to provide mutual assistance, helpful information, or the like

Organizational Networks: relationships defined within a specified organization or functional department that are indicative of how work actually gets done in that organization or department. These networks map relationships leveraged for exchanging information, discussing new ideas and solving problems as well as interacting with clients, suppliers and other external stakeholders.

Social Network Analysis: social network analysis is focused on uncovering the patterning of people's interaction. The network approach to the study of human behavior involves two commitments: (1) it is guided by formal theory organized in mathematical terms, and (2) it is grounded in the systematic analysis of empirical data. Network analysts have found important applications in a variety of fields, including organizational behavior, inter-organizational relations, the spread of contagious diseases, mental health, social support, and the diffusion of information.
*International Network for Social Network Analysis.

Trusted Advisor: a network member who has a large number of connections from others within a given network. These people are typically strong relationships builders.