1. The document discusses various digital tools and methods for social and cultural research, including tools for link extraction, comparing lists, analyzing search results, mapping networks, and exploring censorship. 2. It provides examples of using tools like a link ripper, Google scraper, issue crawler, and censorship explorer to answer research questions about the response of sources to Cablegate, the historical Dutch blogosphere, and mapping online censorship in Iran. 3. The document emphasizes that research questions can often be operationalized and addressed through a chain of different digital tools.

1. digital methods
fav tool medley
Digital Methods Summer School 2014, Amsterdam, 23 June - 4 July
Tomás Saraceno, galaxies forming along filaments, Venice Biennial 2009
anne helmond
www.digitalmethods.net

3. medley?
1. a diverse assortment or mixture
2. a musical composition made up of a series of songs or
short pieces
!
<a medley of snack foods available on the buffet table>

4. new methods and tools for
social and cultural research

5. digital methods initiative tool database:
tools.digitalmethods.net

6. digital methods initiative tool database:
tools.digitalmethods.net

7. research question -> operationalization &
method: often a chain of tools
cablegate

8. Question: Do the sources acknowledge cablegate?
The Response of the Source
1.Get all links for US embassy websites:
http://www.usembassy.gov/
2.Compile list of embassies mentioned in cables:
http://wikileaks.ch/cablegate.html
3.Compare lists
4.Query mentioned embassies for:
1. wikileaks
2. "Julian Assange"
3. Assange
4. cablegate
5.Get number of cables per embassy
6.Visualize output
https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/ResponsesoftheSources

9. aim: get links

10. tool: link ripper

11. result: links!

12. repeat & paste in spreadsheet

13. tool: compare lists

14. aim: get #nr mentions

15. tool: googlescraper (Lippmannian Device)

16. result: tagclouds

17. aim: get most leaked embassy
tool: Google Docs build on leakfeed API

18. further analysis

19. digital methods
search as research
the nationality of rights types
Research project by the Digital Methods Initiative Summer School 09
https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/NationalityofIssues

20. the point of departure of search as research, or
societal search, may be summarized as follows:
we look at Google results and see society,
instead of Google. That is to say, including its
‘artifacts,’ engine results put much on display –
from source competition and standing to
longevity and commitment. (Rogers 2013)
search as research
digital methods

21. Can the search engine be repurposed to
show which rights are specific per country?
research question

22. .nl (Dutch), .be (Dutch, French),
.com/.co.uk/.com.au/(English),
.it (Italian), .ro (Romanian),
.md (Moldavian), .ca (French, English),
.fr (French), .de/.at/.lu (German),
.fi (Finnish), .se (Swedish), .ee (Estonian),
.ru (Russian)

23. “Query design” is the practice of formulating a
query so the results can be interpreted as
indications and findings (however clue-like), as
opposed to mere information retrieved or
optimization and manipulation exposed (however
fascinating). (Rogers 2013, 111)
search as research
“query design”

24. Google.se with query“rattigheter”(13.07.09)
Google.fi with query“oikeudet”(13.07.09)
Google.ee with query“oigused”(15.07.09)
Google.lv with query“tiesibas”(16.07.09)
Google.co.uk with query“rights”(13.07.09)
Google.nl with query“rechten”(13.07.09)
Google.fr with query“droits”(14.07.09)
Google.pt with query“direitos”(14.07.09)
Google.es with query“derechos”(13.07.09)

25. the nationalities of issues
https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/NationalityofIssues

28. mapping the dutch blogosphere
tool: issuecrawler
https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/DutchBlogosphere2003

29. tool: issuecrawler

30. result: network graph IssueCrawler -> Gephi

31. the historical dutch blogosphere

32. tool: harvester

33. result: links!
the historical dutch blogosphere

34. NL Blogosphere
deceased blogs
tool: linkripper
tool: Censorship Explorer
(= Get HTTP response status codes from Censorship Explorer)

35. tool: wikipedia bot edits scraper
https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/NetworkedContent

36. tool: wikipedia bot edits scraper
https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/NetworkedContent

37. tool: wikipedia bot edits scraper
https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/NetworkedContent

38. tool: censorship explorer
https://mappingiranonline.digitalmethods.net/

39. tool: censorship explorer
https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/NetworkedContent

40. tool: censorship explorer &
tool: dorling map generator
https://mappingiranonline.digitalmethods.net/

41. tool:
TCAT

42. tool: netvizz

43. tool: tracker tracker

44. Tracker Tracker -> Gephi

45. Tracker Tracker -> Gephi
trackers: facebooktrackers: facebook

46. bonus tools!
OpenRefine
A free, open source, power tool for working with messy data
!
http://openrefine.org/

47. bonus tools!

49. bonus tools!
tools from colleagues
http://tools.medialab.sciences-po.fr/

52. bonus tools!
tools from colleagues
http://raw.densitydesign.org/

54. anne@digitalmethods.net
kthnxbai!
tool wizzard: erik borra
kthxbai!
www.digitalmethods.net
anne@digitalmethods.net
@silvertje