A clear case of ‘virtucoolness :P’. Conducting discussion groups in online communities.

Authors

  • Mijke Slot Erasmus University Rotterdam, TNO Information and Communication Technology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS312009244

Keywords:

virtual communities, online research, discussion groups

Abstract

Because of technological developments, it has never been easier to use the online domain as a research environment. Online questionnaires are already mainstream research practice, as well as analysing news groups, forum discussions and websites. Researchers are exploring the ethnographic possibilities of online communities by interviewing community members via e-mail. But still, most researches depend on textual analysis or a-synchronous communication with research subjects (for example through e-mail). In some cases, researchers arrange offline meetings with the respondents they have contacted on the Internet. However, meeting respondents online and carrying out discussion groups with avatars in their own virtual environment is still quite unusual. In this article several issues concerning organizational, methodological and ethical aspects surrounding online discussion groups in a virtual environment are explored. The article does not intend to provide a recipe or guideline for organizing these groups. It first and foremost illustrates a selection of interesting and important issues that researchers might encounter in the online domain. Some are also common issues in more general research, but have different consequences online. The illustrations are based on the authors’ personal experiences with approximately 40 Habbos, which were met during online discussion groups in April 2007.

Author Biography

Mijke Slot, Erasmus University Rotterdam, TNO Information and Communication Technology

Mijke Slot works at Erasmus University Rotterdam and TNO Information and Communication Technology. Since February 2005, she has been working on a PhD project about the changing user roles in online media and entertainment services and the way these roles influence user-producer relationships. Her Supervisor is Valerie Frissen, a Professor of ICT and Social Change at the Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Downloads

Published

2009-03-23

How to Cite

Slot, M. (2009). A clear case of ‘virtucoolness :P’. Conducting discussion groups in online communities. Observatorio (OBS*), 3(1). https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS312009244

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2009)

Section

Articles

License

Observatorio (OBS*) has an academic journal profile. As such, it is dedicated to the open exchange of its contents, and freely available to individuals and institutions without charge or formal permission. Copies of this journal or articles in this journal may be distributed for research or educational purposes free of charge and without permission. Authors will not be charged for publication or submission to this journal. Authors who publish in Observatorio (OBS*) will release their contributions under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-2.0 generic. This licence allows anyone to copy and distribute the article for non-commercial purposes provided that appropriate attribution is given - being the author the copyright holder. This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. The publisher perpetually authorizes participants in the LOCKSS system to archive and restore our publication through the LOCKSS System for the benefit of all LOCKSS System participants. Specifically participating libraries may: • Collect and preserve currently accessible materials; • Use material consistent with original license terms; • Provide copies to other LOCKSS appliances for purposes of audit and repair. Fair use of a copyrighted work, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include: 1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; 2. the nature of the copyrighted work; 3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; & 4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors. In accord with these provisions, the OBS journal believes in the vigorous assertion and defense of Fair Use by scholars engaged in academic research, teaching and non-commercial publishing. Thus, we view the inclusion of “quotations” from existing print, visual, audio and audio-visual texts to be appropriate examples of Fair Use, as are reproductions of visual images for the purpose of scholarly analysis. We encourage authors to obtain appropriate permissions to use materials originally produced by others, but do not require such permissions as long as the usage of such materials falls within the boundaries of Fair Use.