Analyzing Social Media Networks with NodeXL

[Graham Durant-Law]

I’ve been using NodeXL , which is a plug-in for Excel, for some time now. It just keeps getting better and better, and has become one of my network analysis tools of choice and one of the tools we use in HyperEdge Pty Ltd . I therefore had no hesitation in pre-ordering “Analyzing Social Media Networks with NodeXL: Insights from a Connected World ” by Derek Hansen, Ben Shneiderman, and Marc Smith. Undoubtedly this is one of the better network analysis books on the market, and I unreservedly give it five stars. It is all the more better because it provides a comprehensive tutorial over several chapters on how to get the best from NodeXL.

The book has 15 chapters organised into three sections. The first three chapters serve as an introduction to social network analysis and social media like Twitter, Flickr and Facebook – none of which I use. I particularly like the chapter structure, which is consistent throughout the book. Each chapter provides key definitions and themes and finishes with both a “Practitioner’s Summary” and a “Researcher’s Agenda” – this means one can skim the book and quickly locate personal interests. Chapter 3 is elegant in its definitions and summary of key network analysis concepts. I particularly liked the idea of ‘network nirvana’:

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