"Even in a small world, there's room for disagreement."

Some skeptical scientists aren't yet buying into the small-worlds theory. They contend that although short paths may exist between two points in the network, the problem is finding them.

"The models we developed to show that these short paths actually exist don't explain how you can find them." ... How people recognize the routes to their distant affiliates is the next big small-world question.

Sounds like they're in search of a reputation system!

Six Degrees of Speculation | Discover - 6 June 2002