# Ego networks

> An ego network is one person, their direct contacts, and the ties among those contacts. How to collect and map one, and what it reveals.

Source: https://netgraf.isik.co/learn/ego-network
Updated: 2026-09-24

An ego network is the part of a network seen from one person: that person (the ego), everyone they are directly tied to (the alters), and the ties among those alters. It is how most personal network research is done, because it needs only one person's account rather than a whole group's.

## How ego networks are collected

1. **Name generator**: ask the ego to list people for a stated purpose, such as "who did you discuss important matters with in the last six months?"
2. **Name interpreter**: for each alter, record attributes such as relationship type, how long known and how often in contact.
3. **Alter ties**: ask whether each pair of alters knows each other. This is what turns a list into a network.

## What it reveals

Two ego networks of the same size can be very different. If the alters all know each other (high [clustering](https://netgraf.isik.co/learn/clustering-coefficient)) the ego is embedded in one close group. If they fall into separate clusters that connect only through the ego, the ego is a [broker](https://netgraf.isik.co/learn/brokers-and-bridges) spanning structural holes, which Burt links to faster promotion and better ideas.

## Mapping one in Netgraf

Put the ego in the centre, add each alter with their role as the subtitle, draw a tie from the ego to every alter, and then draw the ties between alters. Colour the ties by kind (family, business, social) and the separate spheres of a life separate themselves on the map. [The PayPal Mafia](https://netgraf.isik.co/m/paypal-mafia) is effectively a set of overlapping ego networks around a handful of founders.

## Questions

### What is the difference between an ego network and a whole network?

A whole network maps every tie within a defined group, such as a class or a company. An ego network maps one person's contacts and the ties among them, which works for people who share no common group.

## Example maps

- https://netgraf.isik.co/m/paypal-mafia

## References

- Burt, R. S. (1992). Structural Holes: The Social Structure of Competition. Harvard University Press.
- Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1994). Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications. Cambridge University Press.