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This graph clearly follows Kozo's guidelines about network graphs so there for this is a good visualization. All of the lines are straight; lines are all far apart from each other and do not cross or touch. The lines are easy to follow from one node to another; nodes that connect are close to one another and nodes that are most central are close to the center of the graph. Also nodes that are similar in some way are places nearby one another. I think that this graph is a very good, sensible, and useful.

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I found this graph, but couldn't get the url.  This is supposed to describe users and messages sent to and from each.  This is such a confusing mess. It most certainly breaks rules 2, 3, 4 and 5.  It is hard to follow and I don't find it visually appealing at all.

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This particular graph shows different kinds of relationships that we have with family, friends, coworkers, etc. as stated on the website.  I believe this follows Kozo's guidelines.   The lines are straight and the nodes are pretty close to one another.  No where on the map can you see any overlapping.  This has a good sensible visualization and pretty easy to follow.  I would however get a better understanding if I knew who it represented as well as their social group being labeled.

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This graph follows Kozo's guidelines in the sense that the lines are straight and connecting nodes are relatively close to one another. However there are overlapping lines and the most clustered area is not nearest to the center. I think that this graph would be rather confusing for one like myself, but if I were a part of the group that is within this network I wouldn't have trouble understanding it as much. I think this visualization could be improved but I can also see it being useful for what it is... which from the website it seems that it is demonstrating some social media website interaction.

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Kozo Sugiyama Guidelines were actually a lot more difficult to follow than I had expected. I found a lot of images of graphs that did not meet the requirements. However after looking more thoroughly I believe that I found a pretty good graph. This graph meets all of the requirements. The lines are straight. The lines do not overlap. Also the central nodes are closer to the center, and the nodes that are similar are near one another. This is a very good example of a network graph.

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Kozo's guidelines about network graphs that are viewer friendly are:

1. Lines should be straight.
2. Lines should be far apart from one another.
3. Lines should not cross or touch.
4. Lines should be easy to follow from one node to another.
5. Nodes that connect should be close.
6. Nodes that are most central should be close to the center of the graph.
7. Nodes that are similar in some way should be placed nearby one another.

Looking at this network graph of Taylor Swift's friends, I would say it breaks #3 because there are two tie lines that overlap. Other than that, it looks like this examples passes the guidlines well!

I think that this is easily read and the key is clear as to what the ties mean. I just thought this was a neat example because I see things like this in magazines all the time and it's kind of neat to see how celebrities kind of recycle friends and love interests.

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Columba,( I'm not able to post my name in the larger print) Quality of Visualization: No this graph does not follow the Sugiyama guidelines. This is split into what I believe is boys and girls or squares and circles, There are overlapping lines that are not straight. The central nodes are a little clear because the they are darker, but could be placed a little better. In all it looks like a football play.

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Oh my goodness, what a messy, confusing sociogram! Yes, I agree with you; it looks like a football play -- one in which everyone gets a concussion! -- Prof. Cook

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I believe that this graph's visualization follows Sugiyama's guidelines pretty well. All of the edges are straight lines, the nodes that have the most connections seem to be centered, nodes that are connected seem to be close to each other and the lines of this graph are far enough part to visual see what nodes they are connecting. One of Sugiyama's rules the is not followed are that a few lines on the graph do cross. Beyond these rules I visually like the way this network is displayed, I think using pictures to identify the nodes is a great way to display the connections. I also found it easy to follow the connections with the use of multiple colors and adequate spacing.

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Thanks for sharing this network graph, Phoenix. Do you have any idea what the graph is meant to signify? I notice that the graph is generated by TouchGraph -- http://www.touchgraph.com/ -- a company that makes a fair amount of money from professionals interested in using network visualizations to power their business. -- Prof. Cook

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This network graph, in my opinion, does a decent job adhering to Kozo Sugiyama's guidelines. The Lines are straight, distances appropriately, they do not cross or touch, and are definitely easy to follow. There is a clear central node, similar nodes are placed together, and the nodes that connect are grouped well. This visualization makes sense and is easy to read. From the website description this graph depicts student activities in relation to their instructors' activities, the center node being the instructor. By following the guidelines the graph is neatly organized, clear, and would be straight forward if there was a key of some sort explaining the activities or colors. But overall a good example of Kozo's rules.

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I agree -- this is a very clearly structured network graph that closely hews to Sugiyama's guidelines. Thanks very much for describing what the graph is meant to signify, Lacerta. -- Prof. Cook

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As far as Sugiyama's guidelines go, this graph doesn't really follow the rules.. the lines are curved, overlapping, and clustered together in a lot of places. The only rule followed by this graph, depicting some guy's professional network is that the central node, or ego, in this graph is in the center. Other than that, I think this graph is a very beautiful visualization of a social network. It's cool how the different colors refer to smaller networks that John M. Baker is a part of, you can also follow how the networks surrounding interconnect. It's a useful graphic to think about how vast the connections between people can really become when you start to look at the links.

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Aquila, I agree. Given that this network is operating at a scale that necessitates the breaking of Sugiyama's rules, the colors are a useful way to draw our eyes to -- what? -- it looks like, according to the key, different companies that John M. Baker is a part of. My, but John M. Baker is an active Linkedin user. -- Prof. Cook

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I find this network graph follows Kozo guidelines with very clear visualizations and associations from node to node using shapes, symbols and colors.  I appreciate the use of graphics as I feel I relate better to diagrams than I do to tables.  There are nice straight lines which are defined in terms of space and color. Aquarius

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This graph seems like it has a few good ideas going on, but is pretty confusing. In a lot of the cases, the red nodes seem to be placed fairly close together, so that makes it consistent in that sense. There are a few crossing ties, especially in the center of the graph.

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Regulus, what ARE those few good ideas? Tell us what they are. For instance, can you tell what the red nodes are? What the blue nodes are? This appears to be a 2-mode network in which the blue nodes are addresses and the red nodes are businesses that are housed at those addresses. Pretty neat! What other "good ideas" are present? The red nodes are not always placed near each other, but rather seem to be organized around the blue nodes. -- Prof. Cook

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This graph does follow some of Kozo's guidelines. At first glance it seems that this graph would be a clear visualization. There are lots of lines that cross each other. Maybe if the image was blown up the nodes and ties could be apart more and then it would be visually appetizing. I don't think that it is poor or confusing as some of the others images I saw. It could however use a little work. I gave one suggestion as how to make it better.

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I really like this network graph! Although the particular nodes aren't labeled, I see a really interesting and clear pattern of a small number of central nodes, each of which communicates with an array of subsidiary nodes. -- Best, Prof. Cook

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This graph here is extremely confusing and breaks many of Kozo Sugiyama's guidelines with the exception that all of the lines are straight. It is extremely difficult to follow each tie because the lines cross over each other so much and the color of the ties and nodes do not seem immediately logical, I could not find a pattern as to why they are the colors that they are and there was no immediate knowledge or notification via the graph as to which nodes are more central or which are more between.

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Libra, thanks. I tracked the source of this graph down: http://www.econometricsbysimulation.com/2012/06/social-network-analysis-simulation.html -- it's a simulation of a social network in which depression spreads throughout the network, but even in accompanying text the author doesn't readily explain what the color coding or the numbers in the X axis and Y axis are all about. How confusing! -- Prof. Cook

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This graph goes against Sugiyama's first rule, though it was created to find out if breaking that rule would be beneficial. The lines are general far apart and easy to follow except for when they cross each other. Rules six and seven are followed though not all nodes that connect are close as rule five states they should be. Over all I think the curved lines do make it much harder to follow the path of the ties to connect the nodes. Otherwise I like the use of color to differentiate the groups in this graph.

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I chose this graph simply because it was aesthetically pleasing! That being said, it's a difficult graph to follow, and isn't useful in its current form. It breaks most of Sugiyama's rules.

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I agree. From what source did you get this network graph? Does that source indicate what the network is all about? -- Prof. Cook

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I chose this network graph because while I was scanning through all the images on Google, this one jumped out at me because of the shapes, lines and colors. I love how this network graph looks as a piece of art and it makes me think of a sea creature when I look at it.

As for Kozo Sugiyama's guidelines, no this network graph uses curved lines (not straight), the lines are very close together and touch (not far apart from one another), the lines cross and touch, they're so close together its very difficult to follow from one node to the other, and the similar nodes that according to Sugiyama should be placed nearby each other are not. This network graph does not follow his rules.

While I believe this network graph is visually pleasing to look at, it is confusing. I would like to see more labels with information about the nodes. With only one node labeled community in the center, this network graph does not give me enough information to understand what it is trying to represent, so without more information I believe it is useless.

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I'm with you here, Spica. Pretty -- but pretty useless. Does this represent a real network, or is it just someone's idea of what a network should look like?

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This example of a social network graph from http://williamjturkel.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/fig-5-niche-twitter-followers-20110421.jpg is both useful and confusing. It is used to represent ties between twitter account users. I find while looking at the representation it sticks out to me that a lot of lines are not far apart and lines are crossing, which breaks rules 2 and 3 of Kozo Sugiyama’s Rules. But it is interesting and a great visual in the fact that it uses logos to represent brand's and pictures of people to show users accounts. I just wish that overall the pictures or the graph was bigger in general so you could really see what was going on.
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Betelgeuse, I hear you and I wish that those images were more easily visible, too. I can see some interesting elements of structure in there. There is one central figure everyone seems to follow, and over on the right there appears to be a big group discussion breaking out, which is different from the rest of the graph, which appears to be relatively bereft of cross-cutting ties. -- Prof Cook

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Dating Website Social Network Graph

This graph does not follow Sugiyama's rules: the lines are not straight, the lines are not all far apart from the others, and the lines do cross. It does follow some of the guidelines including that nodes which are most central should be near the center of the graph and the lines are easy to follow, as well as nodes that connect should be close.

I find this graph interesting in a sense that it is visually appealing with the different colors seeming to represent different types/levels of communication/relationship. Also the thickness of the lines vary which also seems to suggest a stronger bond. However, without a key or explanation summary to inform the viewer of what the different qualities signify it is not overall a helpful graph and cannot stand alone without further information.

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Thanks for your thoughts on this one, Indus. I'm kind of on the fence about this network graph. On the one hand, I agree with you that it needs a key or some other explanation of its significance. On the other hand, the violations of Sugiyama's rules are ameliorated by the use of varying opacities. We can see through one layer of ties to the other, which helps us track the arcs of those ties better. -- Prof. Cook

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I believe this network is a good visualization although it does not follow all of Sugiyama's rules. Rules number three and four are both broken with this network graph because the lines cross and some of them are hard to follow. Despite those broken rules this is still a good visualization because you can clearly see the most central node along with all of the key figures that branch off of the most central node and the nodes that branch off of that. To me this shows me that not all of the rules can be followed all of time especially with larger network graphs because eventually you will run out of room and be forced to cross lines or branch out because there was not enough room. There are some confusing parts to this graph but i think that is to be expected when dealing with large amounts of nodes/people.
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Thanks for writing, Capricorn. For my eyes, there are certain parts of the network that work better than others. For instance, the outer parts of the network featuring alters radiating outward from central figures are pretty clear. But on the other hand, I just can't figure out what's going on in the middle! This is where the breaking of Sugiyama's rules breaks down comprehensibility for me. I also think you're being fair: maybe this is just the hazard of working with such a large graph! Best, Prof Cook.

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The graphic below supports the rules established by Sugiyama. The nodes are straight, the lines are far from one another, the lines do not cross, and they are generally close and only connect at the node. The central node looks to be in the center of the graphic and finally all the nodes are similar –representing people in a network. Looking at the graphic you get a clear understanding of the network and what it is trying to represent.

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Capella, I agree with you. This is not only a social network, but a piece of graphic art that looks slick and stylish but also clean and comprehensible. -- Best, Prof. Cook

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I believe this graph follows many  of Sugiyama's rules.  The explanation of shorter ties helps in understanding the graph.  This graph is a good visualization with quality graphics and would give Senator Begich's constituents and the other Senator's constituents a good starting point.  Use of curved lines may have worked better, but by using length instead, one of Sugiyama's rules is not broken.

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Interesting choice, Orion! I agree with your assessment. -- Best, Prof. Cook

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I think the below visualization of a social network is a good, sensible, useful visualization. It is simple and easy to follow the ties between one node and other. This visualization does follow Sugiyama's guidelines. The lines are straight, they are far apart from one another, they do cross but only becuase they have to, they are easy to follow from one node to another, and the connecting nodes are close to one another. There are enough of his rules to say that this is a good, clear, visualization of a social network.

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Gliese, I agree with your assessment. There is some crossing but it is unavoidable, and connected nodes are indeed placed to be close to one another. Good example. -- Prof. Cook

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I recently read the current definition of Social Graph at Wikipedia, and how it compares to the definition of a Social Network:

A social graph consists of who an individual is connected to based on the type of connections, such as work, friendship, interests, and location. It differs from a social network, which consists of who an individual is connected to based on the existence/strength of (one type of) connection, such as work. A social graph therefore conceives of connections in a typological way, whereas a social network does so in a binary/spectral way. I.e. a social graph asks what type of connection exists between individuals, whereas a social network simply asks whether the connection exists or how strong it is. Accordingly, a social graph is a more complex/higher-level model of a social system than a social network.
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I find the above current definition to be confusing, extravagant, not right, and based on someone's opinion (which shows why the current Wikipedia model is broken). For example, when you study social interactions and behaviors, you will find that there is nothing "binary/spectral way" on the way humans behave socially. Don't confuse what a graph and network is, how it evolves/grows, with characteristics or how those are to be analyzed (i.e. degrees, levels, distances, and so on). On the other hand, I found the Wikipedia definitions of Social Network and Social Structures to be good ones.

I understand that the need to differentiate between social structures and networks is an important one, as they are related but not the same thing. For this below I offer a simple, clear and accurate definition for social graphs and social networks, based on observation, practice and accepted definitions:

A social graph:

...a social graph is a structure used for the representation (and implementation) of a social network.

A social network:

...a social network is a social structure that is typically represented by a social graph, that is defined as an instance of all its entities and the relationships between them at a particular point in time, and that is typically related to a particular category or target audience.

An example of a social graph is a traditional Rooted Tree or a Spanning Tree, which in the case of a social network, it would be a tree consisting of nodes that represent a particular kind (category or target audience) of social network. Social networks don't have to be categorized but typically are, for example LinkedIn, which is a social network that is focused on the category of "individuals and their business relationships".

The above definition (I hope) helps provide a clear and simple definition, separation and relationship between social graphs and social networks.

Related to this:

ceo

[Source of image: Wikipedia page on Social Network. A modified version of source]

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I recently read the current definition of Social Graph at Wikipedia, and how it compares to the definition of a Social Network: A social graph consists of who an individual is connected to based on the type of connections, such as work, friendship, interests, and location.