We present NodeXL, an extendible toolkit for network overview, discovery and exploration implemented as an add-in to the Microsoft Excel 2007 spreadsheet software. We demonstrate NodeXL data analysis and visualization features with a social media data sample drawn from an enterprise intranet social network. A sequence of NodeXL operations from data import to computation of network statistics and refinement of network visualization through sorting, filtering, and clustering functions is described. These operations reveal sociologically relevant differences in the patterns of interconnection among employee participants in the social media space. The tool and method can be broadly applied.
As an example of the various general-purpose tools for analyzing social networks (differently from tools specifically designed to investigate telecom networks), we mention NodeXL REF , an extensible toolkit for network overview, discovery and exploration implemented as an add-on to the Microsoft Excel 2007/2010 spreadsheet.
Analyzing (social media) networks with NodeXL
C&T
Computer Science