Egocentric Network Analysis

The previous chapter was a whirlwind. We covered so much material, learning how to visualize and analyze whole networks. In comparison, this chapter should feel much simpler. It will also be much shorter. In previous chapters, we learned how to get and create network data, how to build graphs from network data, how to clean graph data, and how to do interesting things such as identifying communities. In this chapter, we will be doing what is called egocentric network analysis.

The good news is that everything that was learned in the previous chapter applies to egocentric networks. Centralities can be useful for finding important nodes. Community algorithms can be useful for identifying communities. The great news is that there really isn’t a lot that we need to cover in this chapter. Egocentric network analysis is simpler in scale as well as in scope. It’s most important that I explain how to get started, show what you can do, and explain...