Internet social networks in Brasilian agribusiness: Knowledge, webometry and interaction

Brazil is a developing country that is in the midst of major social, economic, technological, cultural and educational change. In the fields of technology and education, dissemination and exchange of information and knowledge has been a major concern of public and private institutions, especially in what regards agribusiness. This study sought to analyze performance and content aspects of Brazilian agribusiness Internet social networks. The study was based in 10 social networks acting in the areas of Agronomy, Biology, Environment, Animal Health Protection, Agricultural Extension and Rural Education. A exploratory and descriptive survey, based on bibliographic and documental references, with a qualitative approach regarding the interpretation and description of the contents of the websites, and mathematical webometric analysis of the social networks, supported by software tools and the internet. The results presented are: i) the detailed characterization of the sites investigated, ii) webometric indicators for each website, and iii) analysis of the social network formed by the 10 websites.