On Facebook there are interest groups created by journalists, for journalists, that focus on the journalistic profession and work methods. One example is the Swedish group, "Datajournalistik" (in English, "Data Journalism") created in 2012. The group has grown to more than 1,000 Nordic members, most of whom are active data journalists working primarily at Swedish media companies. This article builds on Granovetter's theory on the strength of weak ties. A content analysis of all posts with comments has been carried out to discuss tie strength in relation to information sharing and addressivity in the group. The findings indicate that Datajournalistik forms a network where the individuals are mainly connected by weak ties. Another conclusion is that the group has a function in developing data journalistic competence, but it also functions as means for journalists to promote Nordic data journalistic work in their community giving others credit while at the same time taking some of the credit for oneself.
The paper was submitted as a full paper accessible for the conference attendants.