Narayan, Vishal, and Sha Yang. "Modeling the formation of dyadic relationships between consumers in online communities." Available at SSRN 1027982 (2007).

This study proposes a model for the timing of relationship establishment between members of online communities, focusing on consumption-related information sharing. The model accounts for the interdependence of dyadic data, including reciprocity, duality of roles, and homophily. It outperforms benchmark models, offering insights into factors influencing relationship formation, such as information sharing, similarity, and network characteristics. The model's application extends to enhancing the effectiveness of marketing campaigns through agents in online communities.