Graphical Techniques for Exploring Social Network Data

To uncover patterns of those kinds, network analysts collect and examine data on actor-to-actor ties. Such data record who is connected to whom and/or how closely they are connected. Typically, the data are organized into square, N-dimensional, N-by-N matrices where the N rows and the N columns both refer to the social actors being studied. Cell entries in these matrices indicate either the presence/absence or the strength of some social relationship linking the row actor to the column actor. In the present discussion, we will deal only with symmetric relationships where, given a connection from actor i to actor j, actor j is also connected to i in the same way.