On Aug 10, 2007, at 12:54 PM, Conor Schaefer wrote:
If you are chatting in a cafe, you need to understand that what you say can be heard by those around you.
if you are chatting in a cafe, you are already in a private place . . . if you are chatting in the knowing presence of others, you know who can hear you and you can moderate your volume based on who you want to listen. If you are chatting in a cafe and I want to use a recording of your words in research, I have to ask your permission and get your informed consent, in most states in America. In some states, I don't need your permission as long as the data result can't be tracked to you personally, but these are a small number of states. If I want to take field notes on your interaction in such a place, I can do so to my heart's content as long as the notes can't be tracked back to you. so in the case of data collected from the internet . . . did the subject have a reasonable expectation that YOU would be observing them? Did they have the chance to modulate their transmission based on your presence? Can the data be tracked back to them? did they give informed consent? are you using their words? or only your field notes about their behavior? Edward Lee Lamoureux, Ph. D. Associate Professor, Multimedia Program and Department of Communication Co-Director, New Media Center 1501 W. Bradley Bradley University Peoria IL 61625 309-677-2378 <http://slane.bradley.edu/com/faculty/lamoureux/website2/index.html> <http://gcc.bradley.edu/mm/> AIM/IM & skype: dredleelam Second Life: Professor Beliveau