Mapping the Great Beyond: Identifying Meaningful Networks in

MAPPING THE GREAT BEYOND 23
with each node labeled it would be possible to see the key nodes
and to understand to an extent their position within this network.
This would allow a PD initiative to target particular members of the
network to increase its odds of success.
The second extension can allow scholars and practitioners to
identify communities using Twitter, and to identify communities
where there is overlap and those where conversations are happening
in isolation from other communities. This can support Public
Diplomacy by mapping the environment in which these initiatives
are taking place. Figure 7 shows communities using different #tags
in the month after the Iranian election. The map uses a #tag as the
central point of each of these clusters. Figure 8 shows the same
network five months later.
Figure 7. Mapping Tweet Data
Visualizing this information means it can be interpreted quickly.
On the right of the image some of the communities overlap and
some individuals are posting to numerous tags. There is also a large
network, on the left of the image, which is largely isolated and has
only two links to the interwoven communities on the right of the
image. Using such images in Public Diplomacy could ensure that
any use of Twitter is focused where it was intended rather than
interacting with an isolated group, believing the communities to be
interconnected.