The document provides an overview and comparison of various social network analysis software platforms. It groups the tools into three categories: advanced/academic tools suited for complex analysis, accessible but advanced tools for general use with some advanced features, and simple easy-to-use tools. For each category it briefly profiles several representative tools, outlining their primary uses, environments, costs, and pros and cons.

1. Overview of Common Social Network Analysis Software Platforms

2. Overview and Methodology Authors This report was developed by the Philanthropy and Networks Exploration, a partnership between the Packard Foundation and Monitor Institute. The exploration is an inquiry into how networks can facilitate greater philanthropic effectiveness For more information, please go to http://www.philanthropyandnetworks.org Purpose The guide is intended to provide an overview of social network analysis tools available For each tool we outline the primary application as well as the pros and cons for each platform Sources and Methodology Software tools were identified from: The International Network for Social Network Analysis’s software catalogue 1 Social network literature 2 Resources made available online by social network analysis experts including Bruce Hoppe, Steve Borgatti, and Valdis Krebs Comments on usability and functionality are based on our initial experimentation with those tools that could be downloaded for use; the exception is Smart Networks Analyzer, which we have used more extensively http://www.insna.org/INSNA/soft_inf.html Huisman, M. & van Duijn, M. A. J. (2005). Software for Social Network Analysis. In Peter J. Carrington, John Scott, & Stanley Wasserman (Eds.) "Models and Methods in Social Network Analysis" (pp. 270-316). Cambridge University Press.

3. Summary of Social Network Analysis Tool Types Type Description Advanced / Academic Social Network Analysis Tools Accessible but Advanced Social Network Analysis Tools Simple, Easy to Use Social Network Analysis Tools Often used in academic settings and intended for the most sophisticated types of social network analysis Often built for performance as opposed to usability User guides and help files are not comprehensive or are written for more sophisticated audiences Example: UCINET Used in more general settings, including corporate environments Built with the user in mind and tend to be more intuitive and easier to use than tools for primarily academic applications Software help files are more comprehensive and user guides are written for a general user audience Example: NetMiner Can be used by users less familiar with social network analysis Tools are built without complex functionality and are very easy to navigate and use Help files are simple and clear Example: Smart Network Analyzer The SNA tools we surveyed can be broken into the following broad categories: Online Tools That Enable Visualization of Preexisting User Generated Data Used to analyze existing data made available by users Often simple to use with intuitive functionality Example: Xigi

4. Release Timeline A partial history of when social network analysis tools first emerged, based on the limited information available on software release dates: 1987 : UCINET 1996 : Pajek 1998 : StOCNET 1999 : Otter 2001 : NetVis Module, NetMiner 2002 : Visone 2004 : Cross Network Analytics 2007 : Sentinel Visualizer, Friend Wheel, ONA Surveys, Net-Map Toolbox 2008 : ManyEyes, Nexus, Mutual Friend Network Visualization, TouchGraph Navigator, KeyHubs

5. Advanced / Academic Social Network Analysis Tools In-Depth Profile: UCINET / NetDraw UCINET / NetDraw URL : http://www.analytictech.com Description : UCINET is a downloadable software program that can read and write social network data files NetDraw is bundled with UCINET and used to read and display network visualizations UCINET is widely used in academia The UCINET file format can be used with a number of other analysis and visualization platforms Environments : Primarily used in academic environments; UCINET is also used by consultants that have developed customized versions of the software to suit more specific needs Cost : Free for individual use; $250 for a business license Released: 1987 Pros : Significant flexibility to import data from different files formats, including Excel Can support more complex types of network analysis; compatible with many different visualization platforms Cons : More difficult to use for simple social network analysis tasks Online help resources are intended for more sophisticated audiences Difficult to filter data that is being viewed NetDraw’s visualization does not allow for formatting of output

6. Advanced / Academic Social Network Analysis Tools In-Depth Profile: ONA Surveys UCINET / NetDraw URL : http://www.onasurveys.com/ Description : A survey data processing tool that creates output for use in UCINET / NetDraw Environments : Primarily used in academic environments; UCINET is also used by consultants that have developed customized versions of the software to suit more specific needs Cost : Free for limited features, $40/mo for nonprofit use NEW

7. Advanced / Academic Social Network Analysis Tools Other Tools GUESS URL : http://graphexploration.cond.org Description : A data analysis and visualization tool for graphs and networks Environments : Academic Cost : Free Pros : Multiple visualization options, ability to customize and modify the GUESS interface Cons : Utilizes a console for users to enter in commands; potentially more difficult for newer users StOCNET URL : http://stat.gamma.rug.nl/stocnet Description : An open source platform for more advanced social network analysis including network statistics and visual modeling Environments : Academic Cost : Free Released: 1998 Pros : Incorporates modern advanced statistical methods into a software tool Cons : Difficult to use; documentation has not been updated; output is not easy to manipulate

8. Advanced / Academic Social Network Analysis Tools Other Tools Otter URL : http://www.caida.org/tools/visualization/otter/ Description : Otter is used for visualizing a variety of types of network data, including Internet data, topology data, and web site structure data Environments : Academic Cost : Free Released: 1999 Pros : Able to handle many different types of formatted data sets Cons : Limited functionality for formatting output and filtering nodes NetVis Module URL : http://www.netvis.org/ Description : An open source web-based tool to analyze and visualize social networks using data from Excel files and online surveys Environments : Academic Release year: 2001 Cost : Free Pros : Web-based, simple for users to load data Cons : Slow to process data; complicated user interface; limited visualization functionality for formatting output

9. Advanced / Academic Social Network Analysis Tools Other Tools Pajek URL : http://pajek.imfm.si/doku.php Description : A program used for the analysis and visualization of large networks Environments : Academic Cost : Free Released: 1996 Pros : Good online documentation for using the software; advanced functionality for analyzing data Cons : Difficult to use; primarily intended for more complex mappings of very large networks SoNIA URL : http://www.stanford.edu/group/sonia/ Description : A Java-based platform for visualizing longitudinal network data that shows how networks are formed over time Environments : Academic Cost : Free Pros : Relatively simple to use Cons : Lacks advanced functionality for formatting output; primarily intended for longitudinal data that shows the evolution and change of networks over time

10. Advanced / Academic Social Network Analysis Tools Other Tools Commetrix URL : http://www.commetrix.de/ Description (from Wikipedia) : “Commetrix is a Software Framework and Tool for Dynamic Network Analysis and Visualization. It provides easy exploratory access to network graphs and has been applied to study co-authorship, Instant Messaging, manual SNA surveys, e-mail, newsgroups, etc. Each node and each linking event can have properties, e.g. types of messages or rank of nodes, but also types, topics, or time stamps. This allows animations of network growth, structural change, and topic diffusion. A short introductory video is available on the website.” Environments : Any Cost : Unknown, commercial licenses are available but nonprofit use may be free NEW

11. Advanced / Academic Social Network Analysis Tools Other Tools SocNetV URL : http://socnetv.sourceforge.net/index.html Description (from the website) : “Social Networks Visualiser (SocNetV) is a flexible and user-friendly tool for the analysis and visualisation of Social Networks. It lets you construct networks (mathematical graphs) with a few clicks on a virtual canvas or load networks of various formats (GraphViz, GraphML, Adjacency, Pajek, UCINET, etc) and modify them to suit your needs. The application can compute basic network properties, such as density, diameter and distances (shortest path lengths), as well as more advanced structural statistics, such as node and network centralities (i.e. closeness, betweeness, graph), clustering coefficient, etc.” Environments : Any Cost : Free (open-source) NEW

12. Accessible but Advanced Social Network Analysis Tools In-Depth Profile: NetMiner NetMiner URL : www.netminer.com Description : NetMiner is an software tool for exploratory analysis and visualization of network data The tool is able to handle large amounts of data and enables the user to conduct both simple and more advanced types of analysis, including a number of statistical procedures Data can be visualized based on several different types of network visualization algorithms and statistical results can be charted using graphs Environments : Because NetMiner is both user friendly and statistically powerful, it is suitable for a range of audiences including academic, corporate, and general consumer use Released: 2001 Cost : Student use – $40; Commercial use – $980 Pros : Convenient and intuitive user interface, easy to use for less advanced users Good user support through help files built into the platform as well documentation on using the software online Advanced functionality to conduct multiple types of statistical analyses and visualizations Cons : Requires a basic level of technical sophistication and familiarity with social network analysis

13. Accessible but Advanced Social Network Analysis Tools In-Depth Profile: Visone Visone URL : http://visone.info/ Description : Used for the research and teaching of social network analysis. Run in JAVA and can be downloaded or used via the web Enables the user to run multiple types of visualizations based on common scientific algorithms; users can also calculate metrics based on social network data Environments : Visone is commonly used in academic environments; it is also suitable for a wider audience because it is more affordable and easier to use than most academic platforms with similar functionality Cost : Free Released: 2002 Pros : Clean looking and intuitive user interface Advanced capability to output multiple types of visualizations Cons : Lack of help files integrated within the software platform Online user’s manual to conducting analyses is not comprehensive and other online software documentation is intended for more sophisticated academic audiences

14. Accessible but Advanced Social Network Analysis Tools Other Tools InFlow (Valdis Krebs) URL : http://www.orgnet.com/inflow3.html Description : InFlow is a set of proprietary network tools for visualizing and analyzing networks based on user generated data to determine where gaps and effective network connections exist Environments : Corporate, academic, non-profit Cost : $995 per seat and site license options Pros : Good reputation; user friendly; includes visualization and metrics Cons : JAVA platform can sometimes be slow; data must be precisely formatted Network Evaluation Tool (Cross Network Analytics) URL : https://webapp.comm.virginia.edu/NetworkRoundtable/ Description : Automates data collection and social network analysis; only available to Network Roundtable (Rob Cross’s consultancy) members Environments : Corporate Released: 2004 Cost : Network Roundtable membership ($12,500 per year) Pros : Appears to have advanced functionality Cons : Requires membership to Network Roundtable

15. Accessible but Advanced Social Network Analysis Tools Other Tools Sentinel Visualizer URL : http://www.fmsasg.com/Products/SentinelVisualizer/ Description : Advanced proprietary social network analysis tool intended for government and corporate use; target audiences include intelligence analysts, law enforcement, investigators, and researchers Environments : Government, corporate Released: 2007 Cost : $2,500 per user Pros : Advanced capabilities for visualizing social networks in alternative formats, such as geospatial views, timelines, and 3D displays Cons : More expensive than many other options

16. Accessible but Advanced Social Network Analysis Tools Other Tools TouchGraph Navigator URL : http://www.touchgraph.com/navigator.html Description : A powerful network graphing tool that has reasonably strong database features. Environments : Organizations Released: 2008 Cost : $500 per copy Pros : Attractive output Powerful filters Clustering Uses the network diagram as an interface for organizing and accessing additional data tables Cons : Not free (although not pricey) Not as simple to use Not web-based unless you want to pay a high fee NEW

17. Simple, Easy to Use Social Network Analysis Tools In-Depth Profile: Smart Networks Analyzer Smart Networks Analyzer (Developed by Valdis Krebs, used by June Holley) URL : N/A Description : A simplified version of Valdis Krebs’s InFlow that is run through a desktop software platform Allows the user to simply view and analyze social network data imported from a formatted text file Environments : Primarily non-profit organizations Cost : Consulting (training) and licensing fee Pros : Very easy for non-experts in social network analysis to format data files Enables users to simply load, filter, and visualize data Intuitive user interface that allows user to filter data by network and node attribute Cons : Lacks more advanced functionality for using complex and scientific visualization algorithms Inability to do complicated formatting of output, including setting the coloring and shape of nodes Software can be slow, especially when conducting visualizations and exporting images Software must be precisely formatted according to a number of rules

18. Simple, Easy to Use Social Network Analysis Tools In-Depth Profile: Many Eyes URL : http://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/ Description : A free general-purpose data visualization site that contains a simple network diagramming tool Allows anyone to upload data to the library and visualize it using any one of a variety of types of diagrams Environments : Cross-sectoral Cost : Free Released: 2008 Pros : Quick to learn, free, and easy to use Cons : No advanced network analysis or visualization features

19. Simple, Easy to Use Social Network Analysis Tools In-Depth Profile: Nexus URL : http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2415325843#/apps/application.php?id=5303167721&ref=s Description : A visualization tool designed specifically for charting Facebook social networks Environments : Facebook Cost : Free Released: 2008 Pros : Visually attractive interface Simple to use Facebook integration Cons : Works only with Facebook and no other data source (or social networking site) Just two charting modes with little further design flexibility

20. Simple, Easy to Use Social Network Analysis Tools In-Depth Profile: Mutual Friend Network Visualization URL : http://danielmclaren.net/node/77 Description : A visualization tool designed specifically for charting Facebook social networks Environments : Facebook Cost : Free Released: 2008 Pros : Visually attractive interface Simple to use Facebook integration Cons : Works only with Facebook and no other data source (or social networking site)

21. Simple, Easy to Use Social Network Analysis Tools In-Depth Profile: Friend Wheel URL : http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2415325843 Description : An alternative type of network diagram designed specifically for showing social networks on Facebook Environments : Facebook Cost : Free Released: 2007 Pros : Visually attractive output Simple to use Facebook integration Cons : Works only with Facebook and no other data source (or social networking site) Ego-centric design is not effective for charting larger networks

22. Simple, Easy to Use Social Network Analysis Tools In-Depth Profile: Facebook Visualizer URL : http://vansande.org/facebook/visualiser/ Description : A network diagram of Facebook friends that uses profile photos Environments : Facebook Cost : Free Pros : Shows friends’ actual faces Facebook integration Filters using a number of different variables Cons : Works only with Facebook and no other data source (or social networking site) Slow and hard to navigate

23. Simple, Easy to Use Social Network Analysis Tools In-Depth Profile: TouchGraph Facebook URL : http://www.touchgraph.com/TGFacebookBrowser.html Description : A network diagram of Facebook friends that uses profile photos Environments : Facebook Cost : Free Pros : Shows friends’ actual faces Facebook integration Powerful set of filters Clusters are helpful for navigation Cons : Works only with Facebook and no other data source (or social networking site)

24. Simple, Easy to Use Social Network Analysis Tools In-Depth Profile: Keyhubs URL : http://www.keyhubs.com/ Description : A network-diagramming web service designed specifically for surfacing informal networks in organizations Environments : Organizations and other small groups Cost : Free for surveys of up to 10 people, $99/mo for unlimited size Released: 2008 Pros : Includes survey features for gathering data Simple and easy to use Cons : Works only with its own survey data No advanced network analysis features

25. Simple, Easy to Use Social Network Analysis Tools In-Depth Profile: Net-Map Toolbox URL : http://netmap.wordpress.com/ Description (from the website) : “ Net-Map is an interview-based mapping tool that helps people understand, visualize, discuss, and improve situations in which many different actors influence outcomes. By creating Influence Network Maps, individuals and groups can clarify their own view of a situation, foster discussion, and develop a strategic approach to their networking activities. More specifically, Net-Map helps players to determine what actors are involved in a given network, how they are linked, how influential they are, and what their goals are. Determining linkages, levels of influence, and goals allows users to be more strategic about how they act in these complex situations. It helps users to answer questions such as: Do you need to strengthen the links to an influential potential supporter (high influence, same goals)? Do you have to be aware of an influential actor who doesn’t share your goals? Can increased networking help empower your dis-empowered beneficiaries? The tool is low-tech and low-cost and can be used when working with rural community members with low formal education as well as with policy makers or international development actors.” Environments : Nonprofits and any small group Cost : Free Released: 2007

26. Online Tools That Enable Visualization of Preexisting User Generated Data Xigi.net URL : http://www.xigi.net/ Description : Utilizes data provided by users to create network maps showing connections among organizations and people

27. Survey Collection Tools Network Genie URL : https://secure.networkgenie.com Description : Network Genie allows users to design and manage surveys for gathering data for social network maps Environments : General use Costs : Free Pros : Free, web-based Cons : Complicated user interface, limited functionality and customizability for advanced survey questions