Abstract
Social networking sites became very popular since the introduction of Six Degrees in 1997 and companies started to utilize them to build online communities. This research aims to further understand online communities by analyzing the network structure and composition of Twitter follower networks. An explorative analysis is conducted on the Twitter follower
network of Europe’s twenty-five largest product software vendors, which includes 95,895 unique followers. A proprietary tool was built for data collection and social network analysis was used to analyze the data. Structural analysis shows that the networks have small-world characteristics and have high reciprocity in terms of following relationships. Analyzing the composition of the networks shows that a) they have a small internal audience and large external audience, b) Twitter is used for monitoring competitors by some, and c) the companies have very distinct and unique follower communities.
Especially the uniqueness of the communities demonstrates the value of such communities to companies.
network of Europe’s twenty-five largest product software vendors, which includes 95,895 unique followers. A proprietary tool was built for data collection and social network analysis was used to analyze the data. Structural analysis shows that the networks have small-world characteristics and have high reciprocity in terms of following relationships. Analyzing the composition of the networks shows that a) they have a small internal audience and large external audience, b) Twitter is used for monitoring competitors by some, and c) the companies have very distinct and unique follower communities.
Especially the uniqueness of the communities demonstrates the value of such communities to companies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | 19th Americas Conference on Information Systems, AMCIS 2013 - Hyperconnected World: Anything, Anywhere, Anytime |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Publication date | 15 Aug 2013 |
| Pages | 3998-4008 |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Aug 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | 19th Americas Conference on Information Systems, AMCIS 2013 - Hyperconnected World: Anything, Anywhere, Anytime - Chicago, United States Duration: 15 Aug 2013 → 17 Aug 2013 |
Conference
| Conference | 19th Americas Conference on Information Systems, AMCIS 2013 - Hyperconnected World: Anything, Anywhere, Anytime |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Chicago |
| Period | 15/08/2013 → 17/08/2013 |
Keywords
- Online communities
- virtual communities
- social media
- social network analysis