I'm often asked what tools I use to collect, record and visualise data. I almost always collect data using a semi-structured interview technique. I find the results are richer and allow me to explore areas that a web-enabled survey won't allow. Similarly, I almost always record the answers directly into Microsoft Excel, although this isn't always practical. Quite often I build a database in Microsoft Access and manipulate data as required. My analysis and visualisation tools of choice are UCINET , NetDraw , and NetMiner 3 . Each has its strengths and weaknesses, which I might deal with in another post. Increasingly, however I find myself using NodeXL ; at least to do the hack work.

NodeXL is a free Microsoft Excel 2007 add-in. I blogged about NodeXL some months ago when it was called ".NetMap", however I understand for legal reasons the name was changed to NodeXL. NodeXL is now at build 88 and just gets better and better. It now features zoom and scale, more metrics, better ribbon layout, more filtering options, additional layouts, and better control over the graph pane contents.

NodeXL uses an edge-list format, which can then be directly analysed and visualised in Microsoft Excel. The advantage of this is all the features that are normally available in Microsoft Office 2007 can be applied to data and the network. For example, node-link diagrams are easily displayed with control over each node and edge colour, size, transparency and shape. This of course can be done in the other tools, but I like the ability to do it in the "collection and record" tool.

NodeXL is simple to use and quite powerful. I find I'm using it more and more, particularly in my doctoral work. There is a draft tutorial that is available on request - I won't link to it because it specifically requests no further distribution. That said there are a publically available slide-deck overview and a video . I'll be adding NodeXL as one of my seminar and workshop offerings . Until I gain permission to do otherwise the seminar and workshop will be aimed at undergraduate and graduate students, and researchers. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime remember networks matter!

Regards Graham