Getting started · Introductory
Big Qual Analysis of Social Media with SAM: Meaning, Networks and Change
Explore how people discuss issues across social-media posts, comments and conversations.
Digital discussions bring together personal experiences, arguments, humour, emotion and competing understandings of the same issue. This introductory webinar shows how SAM can help you examine those meanings while keeping individual posts and conversations in view.
What you will explore
- Describe the source, sampling boundaries and unit of analysis for a bounded social-media collection.
- Use topic exploration and selected analytical views to develop a question for closer reading.
- Explain what an entity or topic co-occurrence network represents and investigate an observation through its source records.
- Develop a short comparison that connects patterns with examples and explains relevant differences in collection design.
We will begin with the research question: whose discussion are we examining, where was it collected, and what counts as a meaningful unit of analysis? The trainer will demonstrate how SAM Collect can bring Bluesky posts and YouTube material into a reviewable collection, and explain how an existing research export can enter through Upload. The demonstration will distinguish video descriptions and transcripts from comments, since they provide different kinds of material for analysis.
Using prepared datasets, we will move from a collection-wide overview to close reading. Topic patterns will help us identify an issue to investigate. Selected examples will show how emotional tone, a position on an issue, and the way a statement presents its consequences can offer different analytical perspectives. We will concentrate on a small number of these views during the session and show where the wider options fit.
A text network will help us explore which entities and topics appear together. We will use a cluster or connection to formulate a question, then return to the underlying posts to assess its meaning. A short comparison will illustrate how discussion may differ across two bounded collections or appropriately dated periods.
The session draws on examples of public debate, including environmental questions, sustainable AI and political discussion. It provides an approach that can be adapted to public health, policy, culture, organisational communication and other areas of digital research.
Who it is for
Researchers, doctoral students, evaluators and analysts interested in public digital discussion. Some familiarity with qualitative research and analysis software is helpful. No prior SAM experience is required.
The teaching example
Prepared public-discussion examples explore meaning, context, networks and change. Original synthetic examples will be used for guided practice.
Session outline
| Topic | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Research question, source boundaries and unit of analysis | 10 |
| Trainer-led Collect and import demonstration using a prepared route | 13 |
| Topics, close reading and a focused sentiment/stance example | 17 |
| Screen break | 5 |
| Read a text network and examine its supporting records | 15 |
| Compare two bounded collections or dated periods on a clear basis | 13 |
| Discuss a short interpretive account, uncertainty and counterexamples | 9 |
| Questions and practice-workspace orientation | 8 |
Researcher decisions
You define whose discussion is in scope, the unit being interpreted and the proposition behind any stance question. You decide what a pattern supports by returning to posts, examining context and considering contrasting examples.
Your practical takeaway
A worked example of a bounded digital research question, an interpreted network observation and a short comparison supported by selected records.
Suggested preparation
Some familiarity with qualitative research. No previous SAM experience is required.
To watch your private course replay, you will need a free Zoom account. Please use the same email address as your booking, or contact us before the course if your Zoom account uses a different address.
Practical questions
Preparation and materials for this delivery
Some familiarity with qualitative research. No previous SAM experience is required.
Your booking includes named access to the shared SAM teaching workspace on the day of your course and for the following 14 days, ending at 23:59 Europe/London on the fourteenth day after your course. Explore around ten prepared teaching datasets and practise the course methods. A paid SAM subscription is not required. The teaching workspace uses the supplied datasets only; uploading or importing your own data and starting new data collections are unavailable. You may watch the demonstration or use the included practice access.
Slides, handouts and practice datasets are included. Slides and handouts are available to download for 30 days from sharing and may be kept for personal learning and reference. Separate dataset and source licences still apply.
A checked recording of the teaching and demonstration will be shared with registered participants within five working days of the course, with checked replay captions. It will remain available to view for 30 days from sharing. Recording access continues independently of the SAM teaching workspace access period. To watch your private course replay, you will need a free Zoom account. Please use the same email address as your booking, or contact us before the course if your Zoom account uses a different address.
90 minutes, including a five-minute screen break.
Full refunds, including booking fees, are available at least seven calendar days before the webinar, or within 14 days after the day of booking even after attendance or resource access. One free transfer to an available published repeat requires 48 hours’ notice; substitutes require 24 hours’ notice and the applicable ticket eligibility. See Practical questions below for the full cancellation, transfer and refund arrangements.
Live online via Zoom, with automatic English captions. For accessibility requests, use the training enquiry form: https://samapp.bigqualdatalabs.com/support/training?reason=accessibility You will be able to tell us what would help you take part, without sharing a medical diagnosis. Questions can be asked through chat or speech, and camera use is optional.
How long are the courses and how are they delivered?
Course duration, dates and times are shown with each delivery. Sessions run live online via Zoom with automatic English captions. The 90-minute sessions include a five-minute screen break; longer workshops have their own schedules. Check your selected delivery for its time and timezone. Dates labelled Proposed remain provisional.
Can I watch the demonstration or take part?
For sessions that include teaching-workspace access, your booking includes named access to the shared SAM teaching workspace on the day of your course and for the following 14 days, ending at 23:59 Europe/London on the fourteenth day after your course. Explore around ten prepared teaching datasets and practise the course methods. A paid SAM subscription is not required. The teaching workspace uses the supplied datasets only; uploading or importing your own data and starting new data collections are unavailable. You may watch the demonstration or use the included practice access. Each course states its access arrangements before bookings open.
Do I need to attend every date?
No. Repeat dates teach the same course; choose one delivery per topic. Courses can be taken separately where you meet their suggested preparation, including equivalent prior experience.
What experience do I need?
Check the suggested preparation on each course page. It explains any previous SAM experience, prerequisite course or equivalent experience needed.
What will attendance cost?
Course fees are shown with each delivery. Sessions priced at £60 standard or £40 student/access include booking fees. The student/access rate is for students, unwaged researchers and researchers personally funding attendance without institutional training support. Fees are confirmed before a session opens for booking.
Will I receive a recording and materials?
For sessions that include a replay, a checked recording of the teaching and demonstration will be shared with registered participants within five working days of the course, with checked replay captions. It will remain available to view for 30 days from sharing. Recording access continues independently of the SAM teaching workspace access period. Slides, handouts and practice datasets are included. Slides and handouts are available to download for 30 days from sharing and may be kept for personal learning and reference. Separate dataset and source licences still apply. To watch your private course replay, you will need a free Zoom account. Please use the same email address as your booking, or contact us before the course if your Zoom account uses a different address. Included benefits are shown on each course page before bookings open.
What will be recorded, and how long are meeting files kept?
We record the trainer, slides and SAM demonstrations. Participant gallery view, names and chat are kept out of the shared recording. Questions are repeated anonymously and recording is paused for personal-case discussions. Camera-off attendance is welcome. Raw recordings and any participant-identifying transcripts or chats are deleted within 60 days of first sharing the replay.
Is there a SAM subscription offer?
For sessions that include the subscription offer, course attendees receive 20% off the first eligible Academic or Professional individual SAM subscription invoice only: the first monthly invoice or the first annual invoice. Subsequent invoices use normal pricing. Redeem within 30 days of your course date. Standard pricing applies afterwards. The offer applies once per customer to individual subscription fees and cannot be combined with another promotional discount. Additional processing Credits, top-ups, private training and team or institutional plans are excluded. Repeat course attendance does not extend or restart the discount. A subscription purchase is optional and separate from the course booking. Included benefits are shown on each course page before bookings open.
How can I request an accessibility adjustment?
Live online via Zoom, with automatic English captions. Request an adjustment through Ask about training: https://samapp.bigqualdatalabs.com/support/training?reason=accessibility You will be able to tell us what would help you take part, without sharing a medical diagnosis. Questions can be asked through chat or speech, and camera use is optional.
Can I cancel my booking?
You can cancel for a full refund, including booking fees, at least seven calendar days before your webinar starts. We also offer a full refund if you cancel within 14 days after the day you booked, including if you have already attended or accessed the recording or teaching workspace. For later cancellations outside these windows, please contact us. We will consider the circumstances and any transfer available. Any amount retained will be limited to reasonable costs or losses we cannot avoid. These arrangements do not limit your statutory rights.
Can I transfer to another date or send a substitute?
Contact us at least 48 hours before the start to transfer once, free of charge, to another published date for the same webinar, subject to availability. You may nominate a substitute attendee at least 24 hours before the start. For a student/access ticket, the substitute must also qualify for that rate or pay the difference to the standard price.
What happens if SAM cancels or changes the date?
If we cancel your webinar, you will receive a full refund. If we change its date, you may choose the replacement date or a full refund.
How do I request a cancellation or transfer?
Use Ask about training to request a cancellation or transfer: https://samapp.bigqualdatalabs.com/support/training?reason=course Include your name, booking reference and course date when contacting us. We aim to respond within five working days. Refunds are made without undue delay and within 14 days, normally to the original payment method. These arrangements do not limit your statutory rights.
Can you provide private online team training?
We offer live online training for research groups and organisations. Sessions can be tailored to your research context, experience and learning goals. Ask about private online team training: https://samapp.bigqualdatalabs.com/support/training?reason=team
Continue your learning
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Dr Sam Martin
Sam is a digital sociologist and the developer of Social Analysis of Meaning (SAM). The platform and courses extend her Big Qual Methods work with Oxford and UCL/RREAL over the years. Her teaching connects analytical tools with research questions, context and researcher judgement.
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