网络世界中富人“嫌富爱贫”
In real life, the wealthy like to stay close to their own kind.
在现实世界中，富人喜欢和富人呆在一起。
Whether it is in Palm Beach, Fla., and Aspen, Colo., or in peer groups and charity balls, millionaires tend to like the 'consoling proximity' of other millionaires, as F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in the 'Great Gatsby.'
无论是在佛罗里达州棕榈滩，还是科罗拉多州阿斯本，无论是群体活动，还是慈善舞会，正如司各特•菲茨杰拉德(Scott Fitzgerald)在《伟大的盖茨比》(Great Gatsby)一书中所写的，百万富翁们往往喜欢以与其他百万富翁“为邻而引以自慰”。
But in cyberspace, a funny thing is happening: the rich are joining the crowds. They don't want their own velvet rope Web sites. They want to join the masses. This has proven especially true with social networking, the one area cyber-gurus and wealth watchers were sure the rich would adopt as their own.
不过在网络世界中，有趣的是：富人们也走到人民大众中来了。他们不想要自己的富人专享网站。他们想要加入到群众中来。事实证明，对社交网站来说尤其如此。这是唯一一个网络行家和财富观察人士肯定富人会接纳的领域。
In its discussion about Harvey Weinstein selling his majority stake in ASmallWorld.Net - the so-called elite social-networking site - to one of the Nestle heirs, Gawker says traffic on the site has been flat for years. It also says members were tired of all the ads and the constant pestering to log in. (As a member myself, I can verify.)
Gawker网在谈论哈维•韦恩斯坦(Harvey Weinstein)把在精英社交网站ASmallWorld.Net的多数股权出售给雀巢(Nestle)的继承人之一时说，该网站的浏览量多年来一直持平。它还说，网站的会员对大堆的广告和要你登录的烦人提醒感到厌倦。（我也是会员，我可以作证。）
The reason according to Gawker:
按照Gawker网的说法，原因是：
'Rich guys don't want to socialize only with one another, and once you let in enough attractive young women and such your VIP site loses it cachet and everyone might as well just hang out on Facebook, which Metcalfe's law teaches us is exponentially more useful anyway.'
富人不想只和富人接触交流，一旦你让足够多年轻漂亮的姑娘加入，你的富人专享网站就失去了它的尊贵，所有的人可能都会去Facebook上呆着。根据梅特卡夫定律(Metcalfe's law)，网络的价值与其节点（这里是用户）的平方成正比。
The point is echoed in a recent survey by the Luxury Institute, which surveyed 400 consumers with an average income of $415,000. It said the 72% of the respondents belonged to social-networking sites. And the fastest growing sites were Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
这个观点得到了超富豪生活形态研究机构Luxury Institute最近一项调查的印证。研究调查了400名消费者，平均收入为41.5万美元。调查显示，有72%的受访者是社交网站的会员。增长最快的网站是Facebook、LinkedIn和Twitter。
Why do you think would the rich, usually so quick to isolate themselves in real life, be so eager to embrace the hoi polloi online?
你认为，那些在现实世界中往往很快把自己隔绝起来的富人为什么会如此热切地投入到网络大众中去？
Is it because they feel safer online than in real life? Is it Metcalfe's law, which values larger networks over smaller ones? Or is it simply because no one has created the right, good social-networking site for the wealthy yet?
是因为他们觉得网络比现实世界要安全？还是因为梅特卡夫定律？梅特卡夫定律认为大网络比小网络价值要高。抑或只是因为尚没有人为富人创建一个好用而合适的社交网站？
