Analyzing a web-based social network using Kohonen's SOM

  • Authors:

  • Beatriz Prieto;Juan J. Merelo;Alberto Prieto;Fernando Tricas

  • Affiliations:

  • Departmento de Arquitectura y Tecnología de Computadores, Universidad de Granada;Departmento de Arquitectura y Tecnología de Computadores, Universidad de Granada;Departmento de Arquitectura y Tecnología de Computadores, Universidad de Granada;Departmento de Informática e Ingeniería de Sistemas, Universidad de Zaragoza

  • Venue:
  • IWANN'07 Proceedings of the 9th international work conference on Artificial neural networks
  • Year:
  • 2007

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

In this paper the utility of using the Self Organizing Maps (SOM), in conjunction with U-matrix, to visualize the evolution of a social network community formed by a set of blogs is shown. Weblogs are dynamic websites updated via easy-to-use content management systems whose links tend to mirror or in some cases establish new types of social relations, thereby creating a social network. Analyzing the evolution of this network allows the discovery of emerging social structures and their trends in growth. Here we apply this method to Blogalia, a blog hosting site from which we have a complete set of data. The proposed procedure not only gives some insight on how communities form and evolve, but would also enable to predict the future paths that their members will take.