Sunbelt XXXI International Network for Social Network ... - INSNA

Using Ergms To Map Online Clandestine Behavior To Offline Criminal ActivityKeegan, Brian; Ahmad, Muhammad; Williams, Dmitri; Srivastava, Jaideep; Contractor, NoshirCriminals, Gangs, Terrorists, and NetworksERGM/P*, Criminal Behavior, Virtual World, Covert, Collaboration Network, Multiple‐network StudiesSAT.AM1The analysis of criminal and clandestine organizations presents unique theoretical and methodological problems. However, empirical analyses of theseorganizations’ structures have received scant attention because data is necessarily hard to obtain. Contemporary studies have been handicapped by data thateffaces the embeddedness of these organizations within larger licit social interactions and a reliance on descriptive, single‐level methods rather than usinggenerative and confirmatory models for multi‐level analysis. Because the covert actors in online worlds must balance the demands for efficiency againstsecrecy as in the offline world, it may be possible to map behavior and social organization from the online back to the offline. We integrate exponentialrandom graph methods to compare how the organization of “money launderers” in a massively multiplayer online game differ from drug traffickers in the realworld. Our results have implications for understanding how task demands and technological affordances impact the social organization of crime.Using Social Network Analysis To Increase Utilization Of An Inner CityRoss, Paula; Boardley, Debra; Eckert, Jeanette; Hallsky, SarahNetworks and EconomicsPeer Influence, Community, neighborhoodsTHURS.AM2The organization known as the YMCA has recently changed its name to the Y and has increased services focusing on strengthening communities through youthdevelopment, healthy living and social responsibility. The purpose of this study was to use social network analysis to increase community participation andutilization of a Y located in an economically depressed area in a large Midwestern city. This study collected data on the networks of Y members. Datacollected was used to identify individuals whose reported ties suggested potential influence within the Y and within the neighboring community. A rostersurvey was used. In the first step, the Y generated the names of individuals who had used the Y in the past year. To be included in the roster, individuals hadbeen to the Y at least 50 times (about once a week) and have the same home zip code as the Y. Individuals indicated who they worked out with at the Y, whothey socialized with outside the Y, and from whom they would seek advice. The results of the roster survey identified a small group of key individuals. Thisgroup was convened as an advisory committee with the purpose of improving utilization of the Y. This committee was given incentives to ensure participationin the group. The committee gathered information from the community and also to distributed information to the community with respect to the programsand services offered at the Y. Data on the effectiveness of this strategy is still being collected.