Three easy ways to -...

Three easy ways to export your Facebook and twitter network as a

graph.

Beatriz Patraca (egolab-GRAFO)

There are many applications that allow its users to visualize their own network directly from Facebook or twitter, but with the following three tools you can select algorithms, play with the usual measures and change colours and sizes.

Netvizz NodeXL Gephi

1. Netvizz + Gephi

• Netvizz: Facebook app by Bernhard Rieder (professor at University of Amsterdam) allows you to create gdf files (a simple text format that specifies an undirected graph) from your relationships of either your personal network or the groups you are a member of.

• These files can then be analyzed and visualized using graph visualization software such as GUESS or the powerful and very easy to use Gephi platform.

Netvizz + Gephi

Gephi is a tool to explore and understand graphs. As in Photoshop (but for graphs), the user interacts with the representation, manipulates the structures, shapes and colours to reveal hidden properties.

http://gephi.org

Case study #Yosoy132enelextranjero (facebook group) On may 23rd,2012, a student movement from different universities in the country asked the media to fully inform citizens abaut the presidential contest in Mexico. “#yosoy132 en el extranjero” an extension of such group, is formed by mexican citizens abroad who support the struggle for the democratization of Mexico and Mexican mass media.

Netvizz + Gephi

Sign in to a Facebook account Search for “netvizz” application

Netvizz

2390 nodes

7991 edges

gdf file: save as...

Gephi

• In the Gephi menu bar go to File Menu and Open the .gdf file

• Run a layout. You can see the layout properties below.

• Ranking modules allows to configure node’s color and size.

• Choose the ranking tab in the top left module and choose Degree from the menu.

Gephi Go to the filters in the top right module and open the topology folder. Drag the degree range filter in to the Queries and drop it to drag filter here. Click on degree range to activate the filter. It shows a range slider and the chart that represents the data, the degree distribution here. In my case Nodes with a degree inferior to 20 are now hidden. Now: 187 nodes 7.7% visible 1611 edges 20.16% visible

Gephi

• Statics: Click the statistics tab in the top right module. Click run next to average path length.

• Return to ranking in the top left module and choose a rank parameter from the dropdown menu: “betweenness centrality”

Gephi

Play with the options and measures(size, colour, range, modularity, betweenness, outdegree, labs)

At the very top left click on the preview tab.

Gephi

• The community detection algorithm created a “Modularity class” for each node, wich we’ll use to colorize the communities.

• Locate the partition module on the left panel and click on the refresh button to populate list.

Gephi (betweenness)

Gephi (modularity)

2. NodeXL

• NodeXL is a free, open-source template for Microsoft® Excel® 2007 and 2010 that makes easier to explore network graphs. With NodeXL, you can enter a network edge list in a worksheet, click a button and see your graph, all in the familiar environment of the Excel window.

• Download the template from NodeXL site. http://nodexl.codeplex.com/

Case study

• This study is a part of a most complex analysis of users’ perception of Mexican identity in the Social Networking Sites.

• With the Hashtag # YoamoMéxico we proceeded to make a netnography of interactions occurring within a span of 16 hours.

• 1326 interactions (tweets, RT and mentions of #YoamoMéxico

• 1260 users, 360 links.

#YOAMOMEXICO

NodeXL

From Twitter search network

Import data and term networks

NodeXL

• NodeXL network metrics

NodeXL

• You can display nodes with subgraph images sorted by network attributes:

• Also you can see the degree measure for each node:

@mayraying (137) @prawana (81) @pacoutrilla (29)

NodeXL

3. NodeXL + Gephi

• You can export graph data from the workbook and play with your network in another platform (like pajek or gephi)

NodeXL + Gephi

EXPORT

IMPORT

NodeXL + Gephi

Filtered network: 375 nodes.

NodeXL + Gephi

Betweenness

Thanks!

• References:

• http://nodexl.codeplex.com/

• http://gephi.org/

• http://www.peteraldhous.com/CAR/Aldhous_CAR2011_NodeXL.pdf

• https://gephi.org/2010/quick-start-tutorial/