A Relational Hyperlink Analysis of an Online Social Movement

In this paper we propose relational hyperlink analysis (RHA) as a distinct approach for empirical social science research into hyperlink networks on the World Wide Web. We demonstrate this approach, which employs the ideas and techniques of social network analysis (in particular, exponential random graph modeling), in a study of the hyperlinking behaviors of Australian asylum advocacy groups. We show that compared with the commonly-used hyperlink counts regression approach, relational hyperlink analysis can lead to fundamentally different conclusions about the social processes underpinning hyperlinking behavior. In particular, in trying to understand why social ties are formed, counts regressions may over-estimate the role of actor attributes in the formation of hyperlinks when endogenous, purely structural network effects are not taken into account. Our analysis involves an innovative joint use of two software programs: VOSON, for the automated retrieval and processing of considerable quantities of hyperlink data, and LPNet, for the statistical modeling of social network data. Together, VOSON and LPNet enable new and unique research into social networks in the online world, and our paper highlights the importance of complementary research tools for social science research into the web

Dynamics of private social networks

Social networks, have been a significant turning point in ways individuals and companies interact. Various research has also revolved around public social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook. In most cases trying to understand what's happening in the network such predicting trends, and identifying natural phenomenon. Seeing the growth of public social networks several corporations have sought to build their own private networks to enable their staff to share knowledge, and expertise. Little research has been done in regards to the value private networks give to their stake holders. This is primarily due to the fact as their name implies, these networks are private, thus access to internal data is limited to a trusted few. This paper looks at a particular online private social network, and seeks to investigate the research possibilities made available, and how this can bring value to the organisation which runs the network. Notwithstanding the limitations of the network, this paper seeks to explore the connections graph between members of the network, as well as understanding the topics discussed within the network. The findings show that by visualising a social network one can assess the success or failure of their online networks. The Analysis conducted can also identify skill shortages within areas of the network, thus allowing corporations to take action and rectify any potential problems.peer-reviewe

State of the art 2015: a literature review of social media intelligence capabilities for counter-terrorism

Overview This paper is a review of how information and insight can be drawn from open social media sources. It focuses on the specific research techniques that have emerged, the capabilities they provide, the possible insights they offer, and the ethical and legal questions they raise. These techniques are considered relevant and valuable in so far as they can help to maintain public safety by preventing terrorism, preparing for it, protecting the public from it and pursuing its perpetrators. The report also considers how far this can be achieved against the backdrop of radically changing technology and public attitudes towards surveillance. This is an updated version of a 2013 report paper on the same subject, State of the Art. Since 2013, there have been significant changes in social media, how it is used by terrorist groups, and the methods being developed to make sense of it.  The paper is structured as follows: Part 1 is an overview of social media use, focused on how it is used by groups of interest to those involved in counter-terrorism. This includes new sections on trends of social media platforms; and a new section on Islamic State (IS). Part 2 provides an introduction to the key approaches of social media intelligence (henceforth ‘SOCMINT’) for counter-terrorism. Part 3 sets out a series of SOCMINT techniques. For each technique a series of capabilities and insights are considered, the validity and reliability of the method is considered, and how they might be applied to counter-terrorism work explored. Part 4 outlines a number of important legal, ethical and practical considerations when undertaking SOCMINT work

Understanding Communication Patterns in MOOCs: Combining Data Mining and qualitative methods

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offer unprecedented opportunities to learn at scale. Within a few years, the phenomenon of crowd-based learning has gained enormous popularity with millions of learners across the globe participating in courses ranging from Popular Music to Astrophysics. They have captured the imaginations of many, attracting significant media attention - with The New York Times naming 2012 "The Year of the MOOC." For those engaged in learning analytics and educational data mining, MOOCs have provided an exciting opportunity to develop innovative methodologies that harness big data in education.Comment: Preprint of a chapter to appear in "Data Mining and Learning Analytics: Applications in Educational Research

A Data-driven Study of Influences in Twitter Communities

This paper presents a quantitative study of Twitter, one of the most popular micro-blogging services, from the perspective of user influence. We crawl several datasets from the most active communities on Twitter and obtain 20.5 million user profiles, along with 420.2 million directed relations and 105 million tweets among the users. User influence scores are obtained from influence measurement services, Klout and PeerIndex. Our analysis reveals interesting findings, including non-power-law influence distribution, strong reciprocity among users in a community, the existence of homophily and hierarchical relationships in social influences. Most importantly, we observe that whether a user retweets a message is strongly influenced by the first of his followees who posted that message. To capture such an effect, we propose the first influencer (FI) information diffusion model and show through extensive evaluation that compared to the widely adopted independent cascade model, the FI model is more stable and more accurate in predicting influence spreads in Twitter communities.Comment: 11 page

Web site structure mining using social network analysis

Purpose – Web sites are typically designed attending to a variety of criteria. However, web site structure determines browsing behavior and way-finding results. The aim of this study is to identify the main profiles of web sites’ organizational structure by modeling them as graphs and considering several social network analysis features. Design/methodology/approach – A case study based on 80 institutional Spanish universities’ web sites has been used for this purpose. For each root domain, two different networks have been considered: the first is the domain network, and the second is the page network. In both cases, several indicators related to social network analysis have been evaluated to characterize the web site structure. Factor analysis provides the statistical methodology to adequately extract the main web site profiles in terms of their internal structure. Findings – This paper allows the categorization of web site design styles and provides general guidelines to assist designers to better identify areas for creating and improving institutional web sites. The findings of this study offer practical implications to web site designers for creating and maintaining an effective web presence, and for improving usability. Research limitations/implications – The research is limited to 80 institutional Spanish universities’ web sites. Other institutional university web sites from different countries can be analyzed, and the conclusions could be compared or enlarged. Originality/value – This paper highlights the importance of the internal web sites structure, and their implications on usability and way-finding results. As a difference to previous research, the paper is focused on the comparison of internal structure of institutional web sites, rather than analyzing the web as a whole or the interrelations among web sitesMinisterio de Educación y Ciencia DPI2007- 60128Junta de Andalucía. Consejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Empresa P07-TIC-0262