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Graphing the Underground

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Started 4 years ago by th0m
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th0m
Beechwold
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Hey there, I was bored, and wanted to try out doing something like this. Let me know what you think!
This is a Force-directed graph representing members of the Columbus Underground forums. This was derived from my Google Reader archive of the site's RSS feed, and basically, if you replied to someone, you get a connection to them... the more replies you made, the "stronger" the force connecting you to your fellow posters.
Download the full PDF here, or here is a sample screenshot of it:
Software used:
Google Reader
Python + simplejson
Graphviz
Inkscape

Posted 4 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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A single tear just rolled down my cheek.
BEAUTIFUL!
:D

Posted 4 years ago #
shmack

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wow. this is really cool. thanks for making this th0m!

Posted 4 years ago #
blammo
in the shadow of the wonder of bread
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that just blew my mind.

Posted 4 years ago #
zp945
Clintonville/Short North
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I am still trying to figure out how to search and quote people properly. Looks like I have a lot to learn.

Posted 4 years ago #
Daz
Tweeting about some totally unimportant event
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th0m, does your google reader's archive stretch back to the beginning of the website?

Posted 4 years ago #
th0m
Beechwold
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no, it goes a long ways, but i could only get back like the last month before it crapped out on me, but i also didn't try to push it either... i have no idea how far back it goes, though, i'm rather curious... in theory it should extend back to until the first person subscribed to it through there ... i'm sure walker has the whole thing (i'd hope!) but its curious how much is available in other systems.

Posted 4 years ago #
th0m
Beechwold
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ZPIZZA wrote I am still trying to figure out how to search and quote people properly. Looks like I have a lot to learn.
i hate phpbb because you simply can't search, and quoting people happens on lucky days only for me, replying to a post feels like casual, afternoon financing of an automobile, so i dunno... i wouldn't get too hungup on judging your hacker sk1llz on the aggravating mess that is phpbb. and i didn't make this picture, either, ya'all did hehe

Posted 4 years ago #
Daz
Tweeting about some totally unimportant event
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another question: Does the connection build based upon whether or not you responded to the same thread, or does it only build between the starter of the thread and the poster?
For example: Does this post strengthen my connection to Walker, or only further my connection with you (as the OP)?
edit: Hmm... looks like just with the OP, as I look more closely at it.
Does your proximity to somebody mean anything?

Posted 4 years ago #
th0m
Beechwold
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i don't think the data i pulled out is actually good enough to infer that level of detail and scrutiny, although i wanted to be able to do that sort of thing... hrmm... i could go on and on about the process, or i could just send you the script hehe...
reader would only spit out 40 at a time, so i tried to jack it up to 100000 and it gave me 1000 or so... so rather than trying to figure that out, i just decided to start playing with what i had. i then had to do a lot of string parsing of the subject (yuk,threadid isn't in the feed) and grouped author IDs by which threads they posted to, in reverse chronological order... here is a sample line from the .DOT source file, showing a grouping of author IDs:
7931 -> 3 -> 9693 -> 8378;
so this thing would go through and map out author ids in reverse like that back through the feed when it found a similar subject line (splitting on 'derground :: ' and ' :: RE ::' and other such nonsense)
so... if anything, this graph connects you stronger, perhaps, if you only immediately replied to someone who they themselves is a strong replier, and only then just the immediate prior post are you thusly connected... so newer members who are repliers of stronger, more frequent authors, may get bumped towards the center more.

Posted 4 years ago #
Matthew
Hilltop
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Hmm I see I landed on the edge of the middle. Does this mean I'm a regular now or just occasionally obsessed?

Posted 4 years ago #
drew

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That, mi amigo, is pretty damned cool.

Posted 4 years ago #
ZHC
101 East Main Street, Downtown
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dude nice work! This graph is bad -ass fun :D
I have to admit I'm shocked how close to the center of the CU universe I am according the graph. But what I really want to know is how Uncommon sense ended up getting between Walker and Anne? :lol:

Posted 4 years ago #
gramarye
In Exile
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Daz wrote Does your proximity to somebody mean anything?
Could but needn't. I'm right next to complexity, for example, but there's not even an arrow connecting us. Complexity is just there because of the balance of where others s/he's connected to are.
My question would be what the significance of the direction of the arrow is, given that none of them appear to go two ways.
Hmm I see I landed on the edge of the middle. Does this mean I'm a regular now or just occasionally obsessed?
Walker and Coremodels are also just on the edge of the middle.
You do the math. :wink:
I have to admit I'm shocked how close to the center of the CU universe I am according the graph. But what I really want to know is how Uncommon sense ended up getting between Walker and Anne? icon_lol.gif
I saw, that's too! :lol: I was going to put that in my answer as to why proximity hopefully didn't mean too much, but thought better of it. :P

Posted 4 years ago #
th0m
Beechwold
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yeah i wish i had more answers to that kind of thing... it was a mystery to me even how it came about... i think mostly it just resembles that you happened to respond to that person. this is only measuring a raw form of connectivity strength, and isn't very accurate, and your position is something of chance... but if you replied to a lot of different people, you may be more in the center, but also if you maybe replied to someone like that, though, too.
... what gramarye said about balance with other people is spot on.
i do have some other graphing tools that I've been playing with to try and find some kinds of meanings besides "they post a lot" but so far it is only sadly revealing who I have crushes on, and not those that have crushes on me ;p

Posted 4 years ago #
Daz
Tweeting about some totally unimportant event
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I <3 xkcd

Posted 4 years ago #
th0m
Beechwold
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yeah i kept giggling about that comic all week, made me think to try this out on the site some

Posted 4 years ago #
th0m
Beechwold
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here is the graphviz dot file that went into this, arguably, this the only thing I really produced. you could use tulip to render other algo's (go to file -> import -> dot (graphviz), and then once it is loaded... you should see a single red square ... go to algorythm -> layout -> force directed -> embedder and you should get something similar, but also, check out the 3d heiarachical layout, and some of the others...) to ge the labels go to layer manager and make "nodes label" visible.
i'm a big hack, and i really know nothing about true graph theory... i wish i did, though, there are probably cooler things that could be done.

Posted 4 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Daz wrote th0m, does your google reader's archive stretch back to the beginning of the website?
The website has only started generating an RSS feed as of maybe two years ago. :?
th0m wrote i hate phpbb because you simply can't search, and quoting people happens on lucky days only for me
phpbb3 is coming soon. Hopefully it will be a little more user friendly when I'm through with it. ;)

Posted 4 years ago #
LauraA
LaLaland
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thom, your full graph is really beautiful. would make a nice art piece.

Posted 4 years ago #