Virtual Methods: Issues in Social Research on the Internet - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1845200853 ISBN 13: 9781845200855

Publisher: Berg Publishers, 2005

Synopsis

Social researchers can hardly afford to ignore the Internet, as it has become an intrinsic part of everyday life. This new site of social interactions is begging to be researched and explored. At the same time it can be a moral minefield and a quality control nightmare even for researchers skilled in established methods. Virtual Methods offers a detailed exploration of the problems and opportunities surrounding Internet-based research. Can offline and online observations be combined? Are online interviews able to produce high quality data? How does a researcher sort through the vast mass of material available? From hyperlink analysis to the sex industry online, case studies sensitively highlight the difficulties researchers face, point out the opportunities to be seized, and offer practical solutions. Virtual Methods provides concrete advice for all stages of the research process. Anyone planning a research project involving the Internet will find this book an essential guide.

About this title

About the Author:

Christine Hine is Lecturer, Department of Sociology, University of Surrey. She is the author of Virtual Ethnography (2000, Sage).

Review:

Through the discussion of case studies using the internet and Hine's own insightful coments, Virtual Methods significantly adds to the accumulation of professional knowledge. Mike O'Donnell, Times Higher Education Supplement A welcome resource for scholars studying online communities from the perspectives of sociology, communication, media studies, and other fields. Susan Keith, Resource Centre for Cyberculture Studies

About this edition

• Publisher: Berg Publishers
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1845200853
• ISBN 13: 9781845200855
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256
• Editor: Hine Christine