Researchers' Guide

Methodology and workflow with AntropoBlue

Designed for anthropology, sociology, and social sciences. Automate collection. Maintain control and rigor.

Home›Resources›Researchers' Guide

🔬 AntropoBlue: A tool designed for researchers

Specifically designed for anthropologists, sociologists, and other social researchers

Combines the power of automated collection with human qualitative analysis

🎯 What exactly is AntropoBlue?

We created AntropoBlue for social researchers who want to study communities and social phenomena on BlueSky while always maintaining a systematic and ethical approach.

What you can do with your research: Analyze real-time discourse, identify emerging cultural patterns, track the evolution of social movements, map digital communities, and document phenomena that are emerging right now. All with the methodological rigor you need.

🏗️ Hybrid Model: We've found the perfect balance

📊 Automatic Collection
Google Sheets
➡️
🔍 Qualitative Analysis
Web Dashboard

What makes AntropoBlue special is that it combines intelligent automation with the deeply human analysis that you bring as a researcher:

1Automatic Data Collection

  • Google Sheets as database: Your data is stored in your own Google Drive
  • Automatic daily collection: Each day, the system collects new posts according to your criteria
  • Guaranteed privacy: Data never leaves your control

2Qualitative Analysis Dashboard

  • Systematic coding: Apply thematic codes to posts as you would with ATLAS.ti or NVivo
  • Digital field notes: Document observations and methodological reflections
  • Interactive visualizations: Temporal charts, hashtag networks, trend analysis

📈 How Automatic Collection Works

Your Google Sheets works for you

Once the project is configured, the system:

  1. Runs daily searches based on the hashtags and keywords you define
  2. Filters relevant content based on your inclusion criteria
  3. Stores the data directly in your personal Google Sheets
  4. Maintains a temporal record to analyze the evolution of phenomena

📋 Methodological Advantages

  • Systematic sampling: Eliminates manual selection bias
  • Longitudinal data: Tracks the evolution of phenomena over time
  • Reproducibility: Search criteria are transparent and replicable
  • Scalability: Handles thousands of posts without manual effort

🏷️ Qualitative Coding System

AntropoBlue implements a coding system inspired by qualitative analysis methodologies:

Hierarchical Coding

Create coding schemes like those you would use in traditional qualitative research:

Example code scheme: ├── Digital_Identity │ ├── Self-representation │ ├── Persona_Construction │ └── Performativity ├── Social_Movements │ ├── Hashtag_Activism │ ├── Mobilization │ └── Counter-narratives └── Cultural_Phenomena ├── Emerging_Trends ├── Cultural_Memes └── Cultural_Transmission

Code Application

  • Real-time coding: Apply codes while reading posts
  • Multiple codes per post: Capture the complexity of social discourse
  • Schema evolution: Add new codes as patterns emerge

📝 Digital Field Notes

Maintain ethnographic rigor with an integrated note system:

Types of notes you can create:
  • Descriptive notes: Document observed patterns
  • Analytical notes: Emerging theoretical reflections
  • Methodological notes: Decisions and adjustments in the process
  • Theoretical memos: Connections with existing literature

🔄 Recommended Workflow

1Project Definition

  • Establish clear research questions
  • Define relevant hashtags and keywords
  • Configure inclusion/exclusion criteria

2Automatic Collection

  • System collects data daily
  • Periodically review data quality
  • Adjust criteria if needed

3Qualitative Analysis

  • Explore data in the dashboard
  • Apply codes systematically
  • Document emerging patterns
  • Write analytical notes

4Synthesis and Writing

  • Export coded data
  • Use visualizations to illustrate patterns
  • Integrate findings with theoretical framework

⚖️ Ethical Considerations

AntropoBlue facilitates ethical research:

  • Public data only: Exclusively accesses public BlueSky posts
  • Non-invasive: Does not interact with users or modify content
  • Anonymization: You can anonymize data in the analysis phase
  • Transparency: All selection criteria are explicit
  • Revocability: You can stop collection at any time

🎓 Use Cases in Social Research

Digital Anthropology: Study virtual communities, emerging cultural practices, digital rituals
Sociology of Social Movements: Analyze mobilizations, discursive frames, diffusion of ideas
Computational Linguistics: Map linguistic variations, neologisms, language evolution
Gender Studies: Document discussions about identity, performativity, resistance
Political Communication: Follow campaigns, analyze discourse, map polarization

🚀 Start Your Research

Three steps to begin:

  1. Create your BlueSky App Password (follow this guide)
  2. Define your project with hashtags and search criteria
  3. Let the system collect data while you focus on analysis