TY - JOUR
T1 - A comparison of internet and face-to-face (FTF) qualitative methods in studying the relationships of gay men
AU - van Eeden-Moorefield, Brad
AU - Proulx, Christine M.
AU - Pasley, Kay
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - Although the Internet increasingly is part of our daily interactions, it remains largely unexplored as a qualitative research medium. Because most research on the relationships of gay men uses homogeneous samples, which are often difficult to locate, the Internet provides a methodological opportunity to obtain a more diverse set of perspectives of the lived experiences of participants. Our primary interests here are to discuss the processes and ethics of using Internet focus groups and in-depth interviews compared to traditional face-to-face (FTF) methods and to discuss the trustworthiness and quality of data garnered from the use of Internet methods. Using previous literature and our own experiences conducting Internet-based and FTF qualitative research that explored the relationships of gay men as well as data from this study, we suggest that using the Internet as a qualitative research medium can enhance sample recruitment and result in data that is trustworthy. Additionally, we offer suggestions for online moderating.
AB - Although the Internet increasingly is part of our daily interactions, it remains largely unexplored as a qualitative research medium. Because most research on the relationships of gay men uses homogeneous samples, which are often difficult to locate, the Internet provides a methodological opportunity to obtain a more diverse set of perspectives of the lived experiences of participants. Our primary interests here are to discuss the processes and ethics of using Internet focus groups and in-depth interviews compared to traditional face-to-face (FTF) methods and to discuss the trustworthiness and quality of data garnered from the use of Internet methods. Using previous literature and our own experiences conducting Internet-based and FTF qualitative research that explored the relationships of gay men as well as data from this study, we suggest that using the Internet as a qualitative research medium can enhance sample recruitment and result in data that is trustworthy. Additionally, we offer suggestions for online moderating.
KW - Gay couples
KW - Internet
KW - Qualitative research
KW - Research methods
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=57749126068&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/15504280802096856
DO - 10.1080/15504280802096856
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:57749126068
SN - 1550-428X
VL - 4
SP - 181
EP - 204
JO - Journal of GLBT Family Studies
JF - Journal of GLBT Family Studies
IS - 2
ER -