Methodology  Minute  –  Online  Ethnographies  

Do  You  Interact  Differently  In  a  Virtual  Environment?  

What  If  You  Could  Create  A  New  Iden(ty  

What  Transferrable  Skills  Can  ParGcipants  Learn  In  

Online  Worlds?  

How  Are  They  Similar  And  How  Are  They  Different  From  Face  To  Face  Environments?  

From  the  First  MUD  in  1979  to  WoW  in  2004,  What  Virtual  

Worlds  Will  be  Available  in  2020?  

Large  CollaboraGve  CommuniGes  (Environments  With  Millions  of  

Users)    Online  RelaGonships  and  Friendships  

(Including  Marriages)    

Highly  Complex  Economies  (Virtual  to  Real  Currency  Exchange)  

Methods

Strengths Weaknesses

1.  Less  restricGons  when  sharing  online  experiences  due  to  increased  anonymity.  

2.  Extensive  data  is  gathered  automaGcally  /  silently  by  the  online  system.  

3.  Chat  logs,  forum  data  are  easy  for  the  researcher  to  record.  

4.  Does  not  require  long  distance  travelling.  Low  costs  studies  

1.  May  be  difficult  to  obtain  parGcipants’  demographical  data.  

2.  System  data  /  analyGcs  may  include  extensive  noise  limiGng  the  usability  

3.  Difficulty  gauging  non-­‐verbal  cues  in  text-­‐centric  environments.  

4.  CommunicaGon  difficulGes  due  to  technological  limitaGons.  (E.g.  Different  connecGvity  and  typing  levels)