The Strength of "Weak Ties"

I've been reading the thought provoking book, The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell. In the chapter, "The Law of the Few," he discusses the reason that "weak ties" are always more important that strong ties. Weak ties are our acquaintances while strong ties are our friends and family members. Our family and friends occupy the same world that we do--knowing pretty much what we know-- so they aren't a great resource for discovering new information and new ideas. Acquaintances, on the other hand, live in a different world. Therefore, the more acquaintances we have the greater is our ability to tap into some new ideas and information that can benefit a project we are pursuing.