'Six degrees of separatoin' in Microsoft Messenger

Here is an article that summarizes a newer form of replicating Stanley Milgram's data. As seen in this study, Stanley Milgram's 'Small World' experiment was applied to Microsoft Messanger users. When studying the messeges that were sent in June of 2006, the researchers created a 'map of communication hotspots' of the world. According to this study, the average shortest number of paths to get from one Microsoft Messenger user to another is 6.6. This is very close to the 'six degrees of seperation' idea that originated from Stanley Milgram's experiment in 1967, which states that there are at most six steps between any two people on earth.
This is an interesting article because it shows ways in which groups of researchers now attempt to replicate Stanley Milgram's 'small world' experiment.
Here's the link:

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/six-degrees-of-separation-applies-to-microsoft-messenger-users-too_10027455.html