Key Events in Australian (Micro-)Blogging during 2010

Key Events in Australian (Micro-)Blogging

during 2010

Axel Bruns / Jean BurgessARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation, [email protected] – @[email protected] – @jeanburgesshttp://mappingonlinepublics.net – http://cci.edu.au/

Thomas Nicolai / Lars KirchhoffSociomantic Labs, [email protected] / [email protected] http://sociomantic.com/

Project: New Media and Public Communication

• ARC Discovery (2010-12) – A$410.000• Axel Bruns (CI), Jean Burgess (SRF) – QUT, Brisbane• Lars Kirchhoff, Thomas Nicolai (PIs) – Sociomantic Labs, Berlin• Project blog: http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Social network sources:

· YouTube· Flickr· Twitter· blogs

Research tools:

· network crawler· content scraper· content analysis· network analysis

Research tool development and baseline data

Baseline information:

· data extraction· content creation statistics· patterns in terms and themes· baseline social networking map· interconnections between social network spaces

Content creation patterns

Changes over time:

· short-term statistics· regular / seasonal patterns

Cluster profiling:

· common themes / patterns· lead users

Focus on specific events

Cultural dynamics:

· rapid spread of new ideas· communication across clusters· thematic discourse analysis· relationship with main- stream media coverage

Methodology – Blogs

Analysis

Capture

Identification

Known Blogger

Population / Blog

Directories

Post Statistics and

Embedded Links

Patterns of Activity over

Time

Networks of Interlinkage (short/long

term)

Post Texts

Thematic Clusters and

Keyword Mapping

Analysis – Blogs

•Volume over time

•Comparison across clusters

Patterns of Activity over Time

•Interlinkage between known blogs

•Outlinks to external sources

Networks of Interlinkage (short/long term)

•Keyword analysis by cluster

•Keyword co-occurrence maps

Thematic Clusters and Keyword Mapping

0

200

400

600

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1400

1600

1800

2000

5.11.2007 12.11.2007 19.11.2007 26.11.2007 3.12.2007 10.12.2007 17.12.2007 24.12.2007 31.12.2007 7.01.2008 14.01.2008 21.01.2008

Posts

Outgoing Links

Blog Network (between known blogs only)(~8500 blogs / 17 July to 25 Aug. 2010 / All page links / Node size: Indegree)

politics food

parenting

arts & crafts

design and style

2010

-Jun-

23 0

0

2010

-Jun-

23 0

1

2010

-Jun-

23 0

2

2010

-Jun-

23 0

3

2010

-Jun-

23 0

4

2010

-Jun-

23 0

5

2010

-Jun-

23 0

6

2010

-Jun-

23 0

7

2010

-Jun-

23 0

8

2010

-Jun-

23 0

9

2010

-Jun-

23 1

0

2010

-Jun-

23 1

1

2010

-Jun-

23 1

2

2010

-Jun-

23 1

3

2010

-Jun-

23 1

4

2010

-Jun-

23 1

5

2010

-Jun-

23 1

6

2010

-Jun-

23 1

7

2010

-Jun-

23 1

8

2010

-Jun-

23 1

9

2010

-Jun-

23 2

0

2010

-Jun-

23 2

1

2010

-Jun-

23 2

2

2010

-Jun-

23 2

3

2010

-Jun-

24 0

0

2010

-Jun-

24 0

2

2010

-Jun-

24 0

3

2010

-Jun-

24 0

4

2010

-Jun-

24 0

5

2010

-Jun-

24 0

6

2010

-Jun-

24 0

7

2010

-Jun-

24 0

8

2010

-Jun-

24 0

9

2010

-Jun-

24 1

0

2010

-Jun-

24 1

1

2010

-Jun-

24 1

2

2010

-Jun-

24 1

3

2010

-Jun-

24 1

4

2010

-Jun-

24 1

5

2010

-Jun-

24 1

6

2010

-Jun-

24 1

8

2010

-Jun-

24 1

9

2010

-Jun-

24 2

0

2010

-Jun-

24 2

1

2010

-Jun-

24 2

2

2010

-Jun-

24 2

3

2010

-Jun-

25 0

0

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Total

Change of Plans: Leadership #spill and #ausvotes Election

23 June, 18:00-00:00:

Speculation

24 June, 07:00-15:00:

Party Vote & Aftermath

Methodology – Twapperkeeper

Analysis

Capture

Identification

#Hashtag Archive

Tweet Statistics and

@Replies

Patterns of Activity over

Time

Networks of @Replies

(short/long term)

Tweet Texts

Keyword /Key PhraseMapping

Analysis – Twapperkeeper

•Volume over time

•Keyword frequencies

Patterns of Activity over Time

•Conversation vs. follower network

•Dissemination of RTs vs. @replies

Networks of @Replies(short/long term)

•Keyword analysis over time

•Keyword co-occurrence maps

Keyword / Key Phrase Mapping

#spill Discussion Network

#ausvotes: Overall Activity (17 July – 24 Aug. 2010)

Keyword Co-Occurrence

#ausvotes: Mentions of the Leaders

#ausvotes: Mentions of the Leaders (cumulative)

#ausvotes: Key Themes

#ausvotes: Key Themes

#ausvotes: Discussion Network17 July to 25 Aug. 2010 / All @replies / Node size: Indegree / Node colours: betweenness centrality)

Notes and Limitations

• Twapperkeeper relies on #hashtags• Problem if #hashtags are inconsistent/unclear• Follow-on @replies and retweets may not continue to use

#hashtags• Casual commenters may not use #hashtags in the first place• May miss early developments – e.g. #hashtag standardisation

• Twitter as a subset of society:• Broadband policy and Internet filter over-, asylum seekers

underrepresented• #hashtag use is a further sign of self-selection• Need to look to Twitter firehose for more comprehensive picture• Need to track baseline activity to understand how exceptional

#ausvotes was

• See more at mappingonlinepublics.net – up next: time-based animations...• Or find us at @snurb_dot_info and @jeanburgess