Enabling community through social media

Background: social network analysis provides a perspective and method for inquiring into the structures that comprise online groups and communities. traces from interaction via social media provide the opportunity for understanding how a community is formed and maintained online. objective: the paper aims to demonstrate how social network analysis provides a vocabulary and set of techniques for examining interaction patterns via social media. using the case of the #hcsmca online discussion forum,this paper highlights what has been and can be gained by approaching online community from a social network perspective,as well as providing an inside look at the structure of the #hcsmca community. methods: social network analysis was used to examine structures in a 1-month sample of twitter messages with the hashtag #hcsmca (3871 tweets,486 unique posters),which is the tag associated with the social media-supported group health care social media canada. network connections were considered present if the individual was mentioned,replied to,or had a post retweeted. results: network analyses revealed patterns of interaction that characterized the community as comprising one component,with a set of core participants prominent in the network due to their connections with others. analysis showed the social media health content providers were the most influential group based on in-degree centrality. however,there was no preferential attachment among people in the same professional group,indicating that the formation of connections among community members was not constrained by professional status. conclusions: network analysis and visualizations provide techniques and a vocabulary for understanding online interaction,as well as insights that can help in understanding what,and who,comprises and sustains a network,and whether community emerges from a network of online interactions. © anatoliy gruzd,caroline haythornthwaite.