The Link Structure of the Web in Hong Kong and Mainland China: A Multilevel Study of Connectivity and Causality

Description

The term "link structure" refers to the way in which webpages/websites are connected and organized. Previous studies have described what the structure looks like but have failed to explain why it behaves that way. The current study proposes a new approach, namely multi-level analysis of how and why webpages/websites are linked at national, regional and local levels. The multi-level analysis will enable researchers to examine the impact of economic development, regulatory policy, language and other national or regional characteristics on Web structure. The proposed approach will be applied to websites in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, given the use of Chinese language and the growing regionalism across the four places, all of which may cast a direct impact on website behaviours. The current study will serve a benchmark for replications in other similar or different nations. Findings from the study also will help guide website design, search engine development, Web mining, regulation policymaking and other relevant practices.