Internet Inquiry: Conversations about Method

Annette N. Markham is a senior research fellow in the Center for Information Policy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, researching the connection between method and ethics and conducting research of decision making processes in institutional review boards. She is also a senior development specialist for the State of Wisconsin, working with subject matter experts in the corrections system to design ethically-grounded online training. Her primary research focuses on ethical practices in qualitative internet research and sensemaking in technologically-mediated spaces. Her book Life online: Researching real experience in virtual space (1998, Alta Mira) has been regarded as a foundational sociological study of Internet experience. Other writing related to method can be found in Sage Handbook for Qualitative Research (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005, 3rd Edition); Qualitative Research: Theory, Method, and Practice (Silverman, 2004, Sage); and such journals as Qualitative Inquiry, The Information Society, and the Journal of Information Ethics. Annette received her Ph. D. from Purdue University. Nancy Baym is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. She has written many widely-cited articles about online fan community and social aspects of online interaction and is the author of the book Tune In, Log On: Soaps, Fandom, and Online Community (Sage Press, Inc.). She is a co-founder and Past-President of the Association of Internet Researchers. She is an award-winning teacher whose courses address the use of new communication technologies in creating identities, relationships and communities, interpersonal communication, and qualitative research methods. She serves on the editorial boards of the premiere journals in the field, including New Media & Society, The Journal of Communication, The Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, and The Information Society. Her blog about fan activity on the internet can be found at http://www.onlinefandom.com