Network Mapping for Everyone
Practical ways to use network maps in your
community
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Understand why you might use network mapping
Get comfortable with the process for gathering data about relationships
using surveys
Learn how to transform survey data to easily import it into Kumu
Analyze a network and demystify some of the SNA jargon
Explore ways to engage and empower your community with a network map
Objectives for today
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Which are you?
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“A network weaver is someone who is aware
of the networks around them and explicitly
works to make them healthier (more inclusive,
bridging divides). Network weavers do this by
connecting people strategically where there’s
potential for mutual benefit, helping people
identify their passions, and serving as a catalyst
for self-organizing groups.”
~ June Holley
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Part 1 -
Why network mapping
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Three buckets to consider
Exploring Empowering Evaluating
Understanding a new
environment or landscape
Discovering who the key
influencers are in a space
General sense-making
Determining if and how a
network has changed over
time
Proving the impact of a
given intervention or
strategy
Enabling anyone to
improve the health of the
network
As a resource for self-
organizing around shared
interests/strategies
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Find a partner at your table and spend 2 minutes each sharing how you’ve
either used or considered using network mapping.
Your turn
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Part 2 -
Gathering relationship data
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There are many ways to ask
questions about relationships
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Who did you grab coffee with outside of work in the last 6
weeks?
Who do you go to as a great source of information or help?
Who have you collaborated with in the last 6 months?
Asking for a list of names
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0: Not in my network; I do not know this person
1: On my radar; I know of this person, but rarely communicate or
cross paths with them
2: In my peripheral network; I keep in touch with this person and/or
occasionally work, socialize or collaborate with them
3: In my core network; I know this person well and/or frequently
work, collaborate or socialize with them
Using defined relationship strengths
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Layering multiple types
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What do you think is most likely to make a difference for
(insert issue or problem) AND that you would like to work on?
How willing are you to help convene a group working on
this?
Key strategies and self-organizing
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List up to 5 other leaders with whom you have a personal or
professional relationship.
Who do you know who would be a valuable connection for
the network?
Uncovering the periphery
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What information is relevant to collect about the people in
your network? Some examples:
- Bio
- Location
- Skills and interests
- Age
- Ethnicity
- Organization
Don’t forget demographics!
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Find a partner at your table and spend 5 minutes discussing what
relationship and demographic questions feel most valuable for your
network, community, or organization.
Your turn
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…and just as many platforms
to help you collect that
information
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Traditional survey tools – SurveyMonkey,
SurveyGizmo, Google Forms
Network-specific survey tools – SumApp,
Undercurrent
Spreadsheet-based – Excel, Google Sheets
Pen and paper – It’s possible (but a pain to input)
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An example using
SurveyGizmo
https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4719445/Sample-SNA-Survey
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Part 3 -
Transforming relationship data
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https://alexvipond.github.io/matrix-expander/
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Part 4 -
Analyzing a network
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4 ways to think about analysis
Squinting
Zooming out and blurring the details to
focus on overall structure
Calculating
Using SNA metrics to uncover insights
that are difficult to see otherwise
Spotting
Zooming in and looking for interesting
people, structures and connections
Comparing
Looking at changes over time as well as
overlaying important demographics
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Analyzing a network
in Kumu
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Part 5 -
Engaging your community
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What do you notice? What surprises you?
What story does the overall structure tell about our network?
Who seems to be at the center of the network? The edges?
Do the network insights make sense? Why or why not?
How has our network changed over time?
What might we do to strengthen connections? To increase diversity?
Questions to explore