Social Network Analysis: Limitations
One of the downsides to this project is that we were unable to get a complete set of data from all of the organizations we identified. Without that set, our data are not complete. For instance, despite our efforts, we were never able to contact the League to Save Lake Tahoe, one of the most visible organizations at the Lake. Certainly, a future version of this experiment ought to strive for greater comprehensiveness.
Another limitation is the interview process we used. Many organizations responded tentatively in the interview process, which might have precluded us from understanding exactly how they operated within the community. Several of what I’d consider very well connected organizations, for example, churches, were reluctant to delve into the relationships they have with local business organizations or non-profit groups. My assumption is that members of the church were likely to be members of those organizations as well, and in a lot of cases the church pastor might be aware of those relationships and work with those organizations on events that benefit the community. Knowing more about those relationships might have given us a better good understanding of how the community works. This is especially the case with respect to environmental activities, which often depend upon these kinds of informal networks.
Finally, our study is limited to the extent that it did not take full advantage of the content management system (CMS) that was at our disposal. If we had integrated our data more directly into a CMS, we would have been able to more easily and efficiently manipulate our data. For instance, as we connected each organization or individual within the network, the CMS would have allowed us to display parts of the network, say, churches. Because such information is stored in a CMS database, it is easily retrievable in a way that can show as much or as little as it is asked to do.
Our sense is that taking advantage of CMS capabilities is vital. As Barabási (2002) discovered in Linked, networks expand in specific ways. Anytime an additional individual or organization becomes a part of the physical network, that individual or organization can be integrated into the existing database. By adding the new information to the database, the CMS will recognize it and reflect it as part of the online network. This means that anytime you have a set network in a given area, it is possible for a new individual or organization to become part of that network, either by moving into a specific area or by being formed.
The database and CMS also play into the role of the community in the network. Acting as facilitators of the network, a CMS can give individual members of the public the opportunity to add themselves to the network and draw ties in which they might have an interest. This would open the network up to manipulation by a much larger pool of people, all of whom might have some influence on the way the community works and how decisions are made. It would also serve as a tool to motivate the public to become more involved in the community
By doing these things, journalists have a new road opened before them, a road on which they might use their skills to reintegrate themselves into their communities. Journalists, as I have stated often in this essay, have a stake in the vitality of their communities. They cannot afford to stand aside as their communities struggle to solve pressing public problems. It is incumbent on journalists to help their communities build a capacity for civic action. SNA is a powerful tool for achieving these ends. It holds the promise of moving journalism beyond the discovery of information toward the facilitation of community conversation and action.