I am interviewing users of social networking sites on MSN instant messenger and when I posed the problem to the Norwegian Bureau of Statistics I got conflicting answers. I was first told that i needed hard copy signatures to informed consent forms for all interviews conducted online. Later i was told that emailed replies to me confirming my informants' acceptance of the conditions of the informed consent form were sufficient. At the moment i have hard copies of only a few consent forms and electronic copies of the others. I got a few of informants i interviewed online to send me hard copies of their signed consent forms which i had sent to them by post together with stamped and addressed envelopes. Others have refused because they don't want to reveal their post addresses On 8/1/07, Heidelberg, Chris <Chris.Heidelberg@ssa.gov> wrote:

I also used multiple blog, video, audio and social media sites to distribute my results online for my committee, professors, researchers and colleagues in order to demonstrate open research utilizing convergence. I did obtain hard copies and electronic signatures too. Initially, I utilized the email responses to my informed consent forms to obtain consent. Later, I was able to get my subjects to fax email their electronic signatures to me because fax emails are recognized in Maryland.

-----Original Message----- From: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of mhward Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 7:25 PM To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Subject: Re: [Air-L] Ethics in online virtual worlds

I'm not sure if this is relevant, but my study involved setting up blogs for a group of PhD candidates at my own university for me to collect data on their PhD process. I was told to email them a copy of the information sheet that had been approved by the ethics committee. Their emailed replies to me, agreeing to the conditions therein, was sufficient consent to allow their participation.

M-H

On 1/8/07 9:11 AM, "Kevin Sherman" <kevin.sherman@aut.ac.nz> wrote:

...

I will be interviewing and observing avatars within Second Life as research for my phd. I have been asked by my ethics board to obtain hard copy signature consent from my participants rather than online digital consent. Can anyone direct me to literature pertaining to the

...

practicalities of informed consent in online virtual worlds (mmogs, mmorpgs, second life, etc..) or discuss their own experience with this?

Thank you, Kevin

_______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/ _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

Is there any conference about social responsability in INTERNET? More than the content i am interested in the use of ICTs as a tool of exclusion. Cristian Berrio Zapata -----Mensaje original----- De: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] En nombre de Åsa Rosenberg Enviado el: miércoles, 01 de agosto de 2007 08:59 a.m. Para: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Asunto: Re: [Air-L] Ethics in online virtual worlds It would be very interesting to hear the arguments from these Bureaus and Boards for requiring "hard" copies? For example, if you send out a regular postal survey, do you ask people to fax it back with a signature? Don't think I've ever heard of that. -åsa -----Ursprungligt meddelande----- Från: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] För henry mainsah Skickat: den 1 augusti 2007 14:53 Till: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Ämne: Re: [Air-L] Ethics in online virtual worlds I am interviewing users of social networking sites on MSN instant messenger and when I posed the problem to the Norwegian Bureau of Statistics I got conflicting answers. I was first told that i needed hard copy signatures to informed consent forms for all interviews conducted online. Later i was told that emailed replies to me confirming my informants' acceptance of the conditions of the informed consent form were sufficient. At the moment i have hard copies of only a few consent forms and electronic copies of the others. I got a few of informants i interviewed online to send me hard copies of their signed consent forms which i had sent to them by post together with stamped and addressed envelopes. Others have refused because they don't want to reveal their post addresses On 8/1/07, Heidelberg, Chris <Chris.Heidelberg@ssa.gov> wrote:

I also used multiple blog, video, audio and social media sites to distribute my results online for my committee, professors, researchers

and colleagues in order to demonstrate open research utilizing convergence. I did obtain hard copies and electronic signatures too. Initially, I utilized the email responses to my informed consent forms

to obtain consent. Later, I was able to get my subjects to fax email their electronic signatures to me because fax emails are recognized in

Maryland.

-----Original Message----- From: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of mhward Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 7:25 PM To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Subject: Re: [Air-L] Ethics in online virtual worlds

I'm not sure if this is relevant, but my study involved setting up blogs for a group of PhD candidates at my own university for me to collect data on their PhD process. I was told to email them a copy of the information sheet that had been approved by the ethics committee. Their emailed replies to me, agreeing to the conditions therein, was sufficient consent to allow their participation.

M-H

On 1/8/07 9:11 AM, "Kevin Sherman" <kevin.sherman@aut.ac.nz> wrote:

...

I will be interviewing and observing avatars within Second Life as research for my phd. I have been asked by my ethics board to obtain

...

hard copy signature consent from my participants rather than online digital consent. Can anyone direct me to literature pertaining to the

...

practicalities of informed consent in online virtual worlds (mmogs, mmorpgs, second life, etc..) or discuss their own experience with this?

Thank you, Kevin

_______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/ _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

_______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/ _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

Hello, all, My IRB requires written consent for research with minors, but generally does accept check boxes or waiver of consent for other Internet research. And, if you are attending the October conference, the Ethics Working Group will be holding a session on Friday, where members will be discussing many Internet research ethics issues. Finally, Charles Ess and I are studying IRBs reviews of Internet protocols, and will ll be sharing results on our web page at http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SOIS/cipr/ire.html. Check out our new call for papers for the International Journal of Internet Research Ethics too ( http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SOIS/cipr/ijire/index.html) All the best, Elizabeth On 8/1/07, Sue Malta <SMalta@groupwise.swin.edu.au> wrote:

Kevin

I have been interviewing older adults via IM for my research into online romantic relationships.

My ethics process was fairly straightforward. I posted notices in various online forums and therefore only received replies from those who were interested in participating in my project (a self-selected sample). As long as I received an emailed reply confirming my interviewees consent, this was deemed sufficient.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards

Sue

PhD Candidate Australian Centre for Emerging Technologies & Society Faculty of Life & Social Sciences Swinburne University

...............................................

...

...

...

"Kevin Sherman" <kevin.sherman@aut.ac.nz> 8/1/2007 9:11 am >>> I will be interviewing and observing avatars within Second Life as research for my phd. I have been asked by my ethics board to obtain hard copy signature consent from my participants rather than online digital consent. Can anyone direct me to literature pertaining to the practicalities of informed consent in online virtual worlds (mmogs, mmorpgs, second life, etc..) or discuss their own experience with this?

Thank you, Kevin _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org

Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

Swinburne University of Technology CRICOS Provider Code: 00111D

NOTICE This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and intended only for the use of the addressee. They may contain information that is privileged or protected by copyright. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution, printing, copying or use is strictly prohibited. The University does not warrant that this e-mail and any attachments are secure and there is also a risk that it may be corrupted in transmission. It is your responsibility to check any attachments for viruses or defects before opening them. If you have received this transmission in error, please contact us on +61 3 9214 8000 and delete it immediately from your system. We do not accept liability in connection with computer virus, data corruption, delay, interruption, unauthorised access or unauthorised amendment.

Please consider the environment before printing this email. _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

-- Elizabeth A. Buchanan, Ph.D. Director, Center for Information Policy Research School of Information Studies University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee www.cipr.uwm.edu 414.229.3973 Co-Editor, International Journal of Internet Research Ethics ( http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SOIS/cipr/ijire.html)