SNA for May Conference -

[Daniel Bassill]

Katie and Anne,

Let's divide the conversation into three parts. In the area where you've posted your first work, let's keep talking about ways to display SNA info, and challenges you  might be having. Let's also try to recruit others, since it looks like Jonathan won't be able to stay involved.

In this discussion let's talk about how SNA can be used for the conference in May. I'd like to be able to create a presentation/workshop, showing what the potential for SNA is, and how it helps us show the growth of the network being supported by the conferences and the T/MC.  Valdis had some suggestions on this, which I encourage him to repeat here.

Then, in a third disucssion, let's talk about how we might map the networks for our teens. I'll copy some of what you wrote into that one, as a starting point, then offer my thoughts. 

[Kalyani Misra]

Here is the link to my blog http://kalyanimisra.blogspot.com/ that talks about social network analysis of May 08 Conference. Please provide feedback.

[Daniel Bassill]

Here's one of the maps that Kalyani included in a new Social Network Analysis blog she has created to talk about the maps she is creating in this project.

I encourage you all to read the blog and offer comments either on the blog, or in this forum. The map shows that because the Tutor/Mentor Connection makes an effort to maintain a database of tutor/mentor programs and related organizations, we can send an invitation that invites people to come together to share ideas. Because we make an effort to organize the May and November conferences, funded by our own volunteers and leaders, and small fees from some of the conference participants, we make it possible for this group of people to connect.

Below is a different way to look at this information. This is a map of Chicago showing locations of Chicago based organizations who participated in the conference. With the information now available, we can show how all of these organizations are connected to T/MC. With future surveys of conference participants, we can show how the participants are connecting to each other, as a result of attending the conferences. We can also build an understanding of how strong the networks are for each organization, and hopefully help each group strengthen those.

If this is used in combination with the GIS maps, we can help programs see what other programs, and assets are in the same zip code, or section of the city. With this information anyone can begin to submit invitations for people to meet at the T/MC conferences, and in smaller neighborhood collaborations in the months between conferences.

We've much work to do with this SNA project and our GIS program. Thank you to Kalyani, Katie, Anne and others for taking the lead.

[Daniel Bassill]

Kalyani has created a set of maps showing the participation of the May 2008 conference. Please read the article she wrote to show what these maps mean. Also read the article I wrote on my blog to show the connection between the SNA maps and GIS maps, and to illustrate how these demonstrate the role T/MC plays.

Kalyani and I talked about "next steps" and I think we should map the Nov. 08 conference, then create a set of maps that combine May and Nov 08. That will enable us to begin to show repeat participation. After that we'd map May 09, then Nov. 09, then a combination of 08 and 09, showing the combined weight of four conferences. If others can help do that work, that would be great.

At the same time, I'd like you all to work together to create a survey that could be posted on the T/MC conference site, or given to participants of future conferences, to help us understand the way they are connecting to each other as a result of the conferences and the T/MC. Some questions might be
a) what workshop did you attend (which would tell us what speakers they connected with)
b) who did you connect with after the conference as a result of first meeting them at the conference

It would be great if we could get some suggestions on questions from Valdis or other SNA experts. However, I think that as you build the maps, you may come up with your own questions.

Our aim in this stage of map making is to demonstrate the value and attract other volunteers, donors, graduate students, college faculty, and others to help us keep expanding what the T/MC does to help tutor/mentor programs grow. The use of SNA and GIS is an application of tools to help understand our impact, and to help programs expand their own networks of support, so each can do better work.

[Kalyani Misra]

I have created a set of maps to analyze the November 08 conference and to compare it with the May 08 conference. The maps show geographical distribution of the organizations with respect to T/MC and various attributes such as programs, speakers and relative distance are mapped in those plots. Here is the link to the blog http://kalyanimisra.blogspot.com/2010/10/analysis-of-november-08-co....

[Daniel Bassill]

These are great maps, and your analysis shows how we can use the maps to demonstrate the connections being created because these conferences are hosted every six months by T/MC. The maps are also great art. Visually they are interesting to look at. Thank you!

[Kalyani Misra]

Here is the link to my next blog http://kalyanimisra.blogspot.com/2010/10/social-network-analysis-of...... that talks about the SNA analysis of May 09 and Nov 09 conference. I have mapped both the conferences on the basis of conference attendees,geographical distribution, tutor/mentor programs, donors, speakers and tutor/mentor program participants from different poverty areas of Chicago.

[Daniel Bassill]

Below is one of the maps Kalyani built showing participation in 2009 conferences.

Read the full article on her blog and add your ideas in this forum.