{"id":1136,"slug":"marsden-campbell-1984-closeness-best-tie-strength","title":"Marsden & Campbell 1984 (Social Forces) — closeness is the best tie-strength indicator, NOT frequency or duration","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["social-network-theory","referral-mechanics"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** Marsden and Campbell (1984), \"Measuring Tie Strength,\" found that **\"a measure of 'closeness' or intensity is the best indicator of strength\"** and that \"there are difficulties with frequency and duration of contact as indicators of strength.\"\n\n**Source:** Marsden, P. V., & Campbell, K. E. (1984). \"Measuring Tie Strength.\" *Social Forces* 63(2), 482–501. https://academic.oup.com/sf/article/63/2/482/1925765\n\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n**For Candid:** Cuts against the naive assumption that \"saw them weekly at the supply counter\" = strong tie. It may not be. **The contractor who has lunch with another contractor twice a year and considers him a peer is in a stronger tie than the contractor who exchanges nods with a lumber-yard rep weekly.** Operational implication: a sales motion that scores prospects by *frequency-of-touch* metrics will systematically underestimate the trust available from infrequent-but-close ties (e.g., peer-coaching cohort alumni who met monthly two years ago, now meet quarterly but consider each other confidants).","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"research-brief-trust-networks-in-group-reputation-may-2026","title":"Research brief: trust, referral networks, and in-group reputation in Ontario's trades economy (May 2026 — Foundation Brief #3)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"levin-cross-2004-trust-mediates-tie-strength","title":"Levin & Cross 2004 (Mgmt Sci) — competence- and benevolence-based trust mediate tie-strength → useful knowledge transfer; once trust is controlled for, weak ties re-emerge as valuable","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"warm-intro-hierarchy-eight-levels-ontario-trades","title":"Warm-intro hierarchy — 8 levels from cold inbound to family-equivalent referral; closest tie ≠ best referrer unless it carries domain-competent trust","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-05-25T13:34:11.111Z","updated_at":"2026-05-25T13:34:11.111Z"}