Taryn, A grad student of mine has done something rather similar to recruit a sample of highly active bloggers/blog readers, as has Fernanda B. Viégas (see http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue3/viegas.html#methods). My student asked a few active bloggers he knew to post a url to his survey on their blogs. He got a sizeable sample almost overnight (allowing for timezones!). From the sub-sample who signed up for follow-up he then selected a range for qualitative interviews. By comparing with survey demographic & blogging behaviour data from other studies - e.g. using forms of random selection amongst internet users - we think his survey sample looks 'representative' enough to make some generalisations. the research is currently in write-up mode. Ben On 11 May 2008, at 14:31, Taryn Ferris wrote:
Hi there.
I'm quite new to this listserv and have never posted, but I've been quietly imbibing posts for a couple of weeks, and I'd now like to stick my head out and ask a few questions...
I'm currently analysing the results from a small (pilot) online research project I have conducted, and to date, I have not been able to locate anyone within the field of sociology in particular who is using similar online methodologies. I'm wondering if there's any of you out there who can point me in the right (or any!) direction...
Broadly, I have utilised viral or community email dissemination to recruit research participants, and in doing so have tried to go some way to addressing issues of researcher/researched power relations (in theory!) by relying on participant-led take-up. I have created a survey via Survey Monkey and have placed the link in an email that I have sent to all those within my social network. I have then asked individuals to pass on the email (viral or community marketing-style) within their social networks (and beyond if possible). Within the survey participants are asked if they would like to participate in a further stage of the study which requires them to supply an image pertaining to a question posed in the survey. Take-up of this second stage, is of course, once again, entirely optional and participant-led.
---- Dr Ben Anderson Technology & Social Change Research University of Essex http://chimeraweb.essex.ac.uk/tasc