Most public relations practitioners would agree that blogs have significantly influenced how organizations communicate. Blogs cover a vast number of topics and there are several types – personal, organizational, news, etc. Organizational blogs are beneficial for their ability to bypass gatekeepers like the media, but in reality few people regularly read an organization’s blog. News blogs that cover organizations’ activities, products, or services much like traditional media are read more consistently. Since news blogs are topic specific, practitioners have integrated them into the story pitching mix. News blogs are particularly beneficial when they are topic-specific. Blogs covering a topic such as technology products link to other blogs that cover the same topic.
Linking to other blogs demonstrates that blogs look to other blogs for stories to cover. If the influential blog TechCrunch discusses a story, it is likely that other blogs will pick up the story. This phenomenon is addressed in intermedia agenda building theory. Another advantage is the network that is created by the hyperlinks blogs share between one another when covering a similar story. Blogs use links to direct readers to other sources of information. Links can lend blog posts credibility just as sources lend credibility to traditional news stories. The links form connections that can be studied using hyperlink network analysis.
Hyperlink network analysis is a method closely related to social network analysis. This type of research studies the relationships between actors. Actors can be people, organizations, or blogs. Hyperlinks are sent and received by blogs. When a blog receives a high number of links that suggests others are directing their readers to the blog. If a blog sends links, they are directing their readers to other blogs. Within a network, hyperlink network analysis measures how many links a blog sends and receives from other blogs in the network. The links determine a blog’s network position. Blogs receiving the most links are placed at the center of the network.
In the paper “Intermedia Agenda Building of the Blogosphere: Public Relations Role in The Network,” three blog networks are examined to explore which blogs in a network practitioners should target story pitches. Hyperlink analysis identified the most central blogs in each of the networks. The content analysis studied two weeks of blogs posts from each networks’ 20 most central actors. The study found that the blogs with the highest betweenness centrality scores were more likely to share the same content and sources as other blogs in the network. The research paper offers a more detailed description on the methodology, the measures, and results.
The three primary findings were:
1) The most central blog in a network is the most ideal blog to target pitch stories. Across the three networks the most central blogs were also the ones to share the most content in common with other blogs.
2) Hyperlink network analysis is a powerful tool for understanding blog networks. It allows one to utilize the network of blogs and see which blogs point to other blogs most often. If a blog is receiving a high number of links from other blogs, practitioners might consider also pitching to the other blogs.
3) Network measures must be integrated into the measurement of influence. Some practitioners state that the number of followers, likes, comments or retweets are invalid measures of online influence. In their opinion, network analysis offers a more accurate approach for determining a blog’s influence. The measures are based on graph theory mathematics and encompass the relationships an actor has and the relationships of other actors in the network. It offers a more holistic view of who is influential online.
This network analysis research shows how content is shared within blogs and its benefits for practitioners. Since hyperlinks are rapidly changing, more research will need to follow to see how content is shared between these evolving networks. When a new blog gains popularity, the content shared between blogs is altered, and the network structure changes. Moreover, while the central blogs shared many of the same stories and sources, it was not considered in the research whether the central blogs also set the tone of story.
There is great potential in using hyperlink network analysis to benefit media relations practitioners, research practitioners, and public relations overall. The research article and presentation slides detail the methods and processes used. The presentation slides offer a step-by-step guide for how practitioners might use hyperlink analysis for their firm.
Adam Saffer is a Ph.D. student at the University of Oklahoma, and the 2012 Ketchum Excellence in Public Relations Research Award Winner.
[AS1]This should be 2012, right?
Dr. Geddes,
Thank you for sharing this paper. It is important to look at intermedia agenda setting across multiple channels. Taking a network perspective required a concentration on a specific channel. Although, it would be interesting to see in a larger project how, or whether, a network perspective influences how information is shared.
Adam, congratulation on the award and the interesting research. Our 2011 winner of the Jack Felton Golden Ruler Award provides a look at intermedia agenda setting effects from the other side. We were able to predict Toyota’s reputation equally based on traditional media, blogs, forums, and discussion groups. We interpret this to mean that any one channel is effectively capturing the full information environment rather rapidly due to intermedia agenda setting. In other words, information carried in one channel is very rapidly shared and spread by other channels. You can access out paper at the link below. It is also in Corporate Reputation Review.
bit.ly/UmfUA8