Social Network Analysis – An introduction
SNA
Being a very visually orientated person I find that the right visual presentation of information is the key to my ability to both retain and absorb it. A great example of this is how Mind Maps have tremendously enhanced my ability to analyze information.
I have been following SNA techniques for a while, as a logical extension to my life long interest in infographics.
Visually presenting information for management purposes is nothing new. Using network analysis techniques to visualize, categorize , model and predict the behavior of networks is both relatively new (approximately a decade) and exciting in its potential.
SNA has applications in Business Organisation, Search Engine Optimization, Genetic Research and Epidemiology to name but a few.
I just completed a coursera Mooc entitled Social Network Analysis by Lada Adamic. Whilst this won’t be for everyone as it can be a little challenging (It’s a little while since I took Linear Math or Statistics – thanks to Khan Academy for a refresher) it is an awesome overview of the many aspects of the art and contains links to many useful suggested resources. Indeed the reading list is going to keep me interested and my bedside table full to Christmas and beyond.
As I progress through my ongoing studies and their applications I’m going to post more links here to the source material and corresponding case studies.
In the meantime if you are interested in SNA I would recommend the following book : Networks, Crowds, and Markets:
Reasoning about a Highly Connected World that is available as a pdf here or signing up to the next SNA course on Coursera when it becomes available.
Cool sites
My LinkedIn map. get your own here: inmaps.linkedinlabs.com
A great lecture on SNA’s roll in medicine and the Disease map detailing the role of genetics in different diseases.
Moviegalaxies examines films by mapping the interaction of characters.
The programming Languages Influence map shows the development and influence of programming languages graphically.
More on SNA
Why Visually Analyse information on Social Networks?
SNA BAsics
SNA Examples
SNA Why visually analyse?
SNA – Software.
SNA – Easy Facebook analysis with Wolfram Alpha
Martin House Consulting 