Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 16-9:
A shared attribute graph extracts commonalities as
relational nodes to reveal associations between entities. Here, a common
neighborhood and shared Twitter feed imply a community. Relational
nodes should use a different representational vocabulary, making it clear
that their function is to join primary nodes.
Link Labels
Linklabelsareseldomadvisable.Usethemonlyinsmallgraphsandincases
when they can independently and fully express a concept.
For example, a link from the nodes “Wardrobe” to “Forest” that is labeled
“Lucy enters Narnia” is self-expressive. A link from “Lucy” to “Edmund”
labeled “sister of” may have use in other disciplines but is a poor
communication device. Do not require the viewer to piece together
fragmented concepts across links. Consider using a system of relational
nodes instead, where the link representation simply indicates a shared
attribute. For example, in this case, Lucy and Edmund might be linked to
