Internet Inquiry: Conversations About Method

by Annette N. Markham (Editor), Nancy K. Baym (Editor)

This collection of dialogues is the only textbook of its kind. Internet Conversations About Method takes students into the minds of top internet researchers as they discuss how they have worked through critical challenges as they research online social environments. Editors Annette N. Markham and Nancy K. Baym illustrate that good research choices are not random but are deliberate, studied, and internally consistent. Rather than providing single "how to" answers, this book presents distinctive and divergent viewpoints on how to think about and conduct qualitative internet studies. Key Features and Benefits   Presents each chapter in the form of a question in order to provoke explicit consideration of key issues Illustrates choices made within larger disciplinary contexts to help students blend approaches, think broadly, and conduct internet research with the benefit of multiplicity Offers a range of perspectives in each chapter to vividly demonstrate that there are many ways to answer methodological challenges well Includes contributors from multiple disciplines and across the globe Provides a highly reflexive writing style that allows readers to see processes that are rarely visible in finished research reports Intended Audience   This edited volume is an excellent supplementary text for a variety of advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Internet Research, Research Methods, Qualitative Research Methods, and Computer-Mediated Communication in the departments of communication, media studies, sociology, and anthropology. It will assist new scholars as well as seasoned practitioners in this arena make informed choices in how they conduct inquiry.

Genres: Academic, School, Communication

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2008

Reviews

[Apostolos · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of researched essays on doing qualitative research on the internet.

[Marty Heath · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book asks interesting questions, and I feel that the essay & response format is a great way to include multiple scholars' thoughts on any given topic.

[John Carter McKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely essential for qualitative internet researchers. One of the very strongest academic anthologies I've ever read, uniformly excellent and directly applicable. The sections on privacy and sexuality in particular were eye-opening and revolutionary. Each essay contains an immensely useful bibliography: the book has given me a wealth of new resources.

I'd give this six stars if I could.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely excellent book on qualitative internet research methodologies. Organized around questions that are addressed through dialogue between a diverse group of researchers, this is a really unique approach to a methods book. I think this also highlights the possibilities for feminist research online, which only increases its' excellence.

[Diana180]

#digitext Worthwhile volume on research method that, in the way of ethnography, raises questions more than answers. The cases discussed in the essays did provide some good concrete examples, and the references at the end of the essays are really helpful. The most immediately useful article was Malin Sveningsson Elm's on ethics and privacy which I'm recommending to students.

[Vika Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent work on using the internet as a source.