Kenneth Griggs and Rosemary Wild
• Locationality – the degree of geographic expansion capability of the network. A highly physically dispersed network would contain nodes physically remote from each other. A high value for this factor would indicate that the network is capable of global expansion. Truly global expansion might include language translation capability, infrastructure flexibility( alternate routing paths), interface localization, the use of GPS, etc.
• Temporality – the speed of network formation. A highly temporal network would be capable of virtual instantaneous node propagation and data transfer.
2. Value‐related – a measure of the value of the application to the organization in terms of the quality of media( audio, video, images, etc.) embedded in the application, the importance of the application to all stakeholders including the organization itself, constituents, employees, management, clients, etc., and the information value retention rate of the information transferred on the network( value of the information per unit of time). A highly value‐related application would contain rich, highly valued information that continues to be salient over time. This category can be further divided into the following sub‐categories:
• Media quality – a measure of the value and quality of the media that can be captured and transferred in the application. For example, an application supporting high definition video and high resolution audio might be considered relatively valuable in contrast to a text‐only application.
• Stakeholder values – a measure of the value of the network to the organization and its stakeholders with respect to node and edge formation, collaboration, information dissemination, organizational efficiency and effectiveness, the development of new relationships, etc. A high value would indicate that the network is an essential tool in which membership supports the goals and values of the organization, whereas a low value indicates the reverse.
• Information value retention rate – a measure of the time value of information that is the prime focus of the SNA( Moody & Walsh, 1999). A network created to contain predominantly information with high value retention would experience little information decay of value over time( e. g., a description of a static government process). An SNA would have a low value if it contains real time data( e. g., stock quotes, weather, commodity prices, etc.) that become relatively valueless in a short period of time( Choy, 2011). An SNA could contain some information that has high Information value retention rate and other information which is low on this scale; but, this metric is a measure of the primary types of information held in the SNA.
3. Risk‐related – a measure of the degree to which risk associated with a particular social networking application can be mitigated. Since SNA’ a are characterized by viral expansion unhindered by time and space, the possibility of the loss of control, security breaches, and unintended consequences is significant. The following are sub‐categories of risk:
• Expansion control – the degree to which an SNA can expand beyond pre‐defined borders. SNA’ s, by their nature, are frequently designed to allow membership and content to be rapidly propagated. However, the possibility of uncontrolled expansion can result in negative events such as the creation of“ flash mobs” or groups whose aims are counter to those of the organization( Rheingold, 2003). A high value indicates that membership can be tightly controlled and a low value indicates a high potential for unintended network expansion.
• Privacy and security assurance – a measure of the degree to which privacy and security could be compromised. Poor privacy controls could result in personal and organizational content being unintentionally and massively propagated. In addition, network membership might be gained via false identities leading to a breakdown in trust, content / data theft, and other negative events. A high value indicates a secure environment. A low value indicates that the SNA is vulnerable to privacy and security breaches.
• Message control – the degree to which it is possible to lose message or content fidelity across a network. When a message or content is alterable by members as it is propagated there is the chance that it will lose its original meaning. This“ Water cooler Effect”( Difonzo & Bordia, 2007) refers to the rapid spread of rumors( often corrupted information) in organizations. A high value indicates that some control is exercised over messaging and content to insure fidelity. A low value would be given to SNA’ s in which messages or shared content are capable of corruption and sabotage as they transit a network.
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