WWW Hyperlink Networks

This chapter focuses on quantifying and understanding an organization's web presence as constructed via connections within and beyond the web sites, which is referred to as organizational/Web 1.0/static web presence.

Abstract

This chapter focuses on quantifying and understanding an organization's web presence as constructed via connections within and beyond the web sites, which is referred to as organizational/Web 1.0/static web presence. It provides a step-by-step guide to analyzing an organization's web site network and neighborhood using NodeXL. In the context of hyperlink networks, a few methodological questions need to be asked and answered for network analysis. With regard to the nodes in a hyperlink network, network analysis is more complicated than with offline social networks and even other types of online social networks. Web 1.0 hyperlink networks may be populated by nodes that are not homogenous in type, for example, organizations that have offline presence, while others like portals that do not have offline presence. Other methodological questions to answer before conducting hyperlink network analysis are: What are the network ties, and what are the boundaries to the hyperlink network? The VOSON Data Provider is a NodeXL data import plug-in for the collection and analysis of hyperlink network data. It provides a front-end to a data collection and processing service that is part of the Virtual Observatory for the Study of Online Networks (VOSON) System. It is a specialized hyperlink research service (VOSON) available as a plug-in service within a client-side network analysis and visualization software framework (NodeXL).