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virtual ethnography

Defining Virtual Ethnography

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Virtual Ethnography is a highly interactive process that provides the ability to make observations of and participate in computer/device mediated cultures through a multitude of non face-to-face methods. It is used to better understand the behaviors and knowledge of participants in and contributors to those cultures. It is also concerned with the artifacts these cultures produce and the methods in which these cultures share, use, and iterate on them. The key to virtual ethnography is not to consider digital lives separate from real life as they both belong to the same life and can only be holistically understood when approached as one.

This is something short and sweet I came up with on the fly when asked for something completely different. I’m reposting it here so it doesn’t go to waste!

As I get time in the coming weeks I’ll work on expanding and rounding it out. If you have any contributions you’d like to make or opinions on it let me know what you think!

Master’s completed, check! Onward to PhD!

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Wow, it’s been a while I know!

Master’s Completed!

On August 12 I presented my practicum / thesis to my anthropology department on the Fedora Project titled: An Exploration of the Fedora Project’s Online Open Source Development Community.

The unique part of my project was that I used virtual methods for almost the entirety of my research. The methods entailed the following:

  • Participant Observation In Person / Online
    • In Person
      • FUDCon Toronto
    • Online
      • Blogs / Fedora Planet
      • Twitter
      • IRC
      • Email / Mailing Lists
  • Qualitative Research
    • In-depth Semi-Structured Interviews based on data gathered during participant observation
      • Conducted via Email and IRC
  • Quantitative Research
    • Online Survey based on analysis of the Qualitative Data
      • Conducted using LimeSurvey

Based on the data gathered during this research I was able to structure my findings into five themes.

  1. Getting Started
  2. Turnover
  3. Collaboration
  4. Motivation
  5. Community

In the final report each of these themes had key points that surfaced to support them and recommendations that were made based on analysis of the data gathered throughout the entire research project. You can find the community version of this report here. If you would like the full thesis / practicum paper (a bit more academic than the community report), please email me: diana [@] cyber-anthro.com. If you would like me to give the presentation again, just let me know. I am more than happy to share this data with anyone in the Fedora / FLOSS / Anthropology or Academic communities.

My committee was very pleased with my work and the results of my research, which culminated in the previously mentioned final report and presentation. With that, they signed off on the last of my graduation requirements and on August 13th I graduated with my Master of Science in Applied Anthropology!

Virtual Methods Report

I am hoping to find time in the coming months to write up a report on how I approached my research from a virtual methods perspective and did everything virtually from taking down and organizing field notes to daily interactions within the community. Not to mention the trials and tribulations of doing a study like this and lessons learned for those who wish to embark on a similar path. If you think you’d find this useful, please email me and nudge me to get it done!

Onward to PhD!

Last year I applied and was accepted into the Interdisciplinary Information Science PhD (IIS PhD) program at UNT where I started this fall. I will be focusing my studies on Human Computer Interaction and Information Policy. Due to my academic record I was nominated for and subsequently awarded a fellowship that covers my full tuition for the next four years. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be continuing on with my PhD studies, daunting though they may seem right now!

While my PhD is not in anthropology, the program is heavily centered around research, which is where my anthropology background will be a huge benefit. I will be utilizing all of my anthropologist skills in each of my research projects and final dissertation. Being interdisciplinary, I am able to blend all of my previous education as well as my skills in information architecture, usability, interaction design, and user experience together into a combined subject of study.

I am very excited to start down this new path and my goal is to aim my studies on the same subjects I did for my undergraduate and masters degrees. Those being, gaming, social networking, blogging, online communities, and open source. My hope is to also extend this into the realms of the digital divide, digital property rights, net neutrality, information accessibility, and more!

Thank you Fedora & Red Hat

Thank you to each and every single one of you who worked with me on my Fedora research. Every single one of you made a difference and I hope we get the chance to work with each other again!

Virtual Ethnography and Open Source Software Reading List

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As a part of my preparation for my research on Fedora I’ve taken on getting acquainted with OSS as well as looking up other peoples views on virtual ethnography. For those that are interested, I am sharing my list here.

Virtual Ethnography – Methods

  • Hine, Christine M. 2000. Virtual Ethnography
  • Hine, Christine M. 2005. Virtual Methods
  • Markham, Annette (ed) and Nancy Baym (ed). 2008. Internet Inquiry: Conversations about Method
  • Jones, Steve. 1998. Doing Internet Research: Critical Issues and Methods for Examining the Net
  • Rheingold, Howard. 1994. Virtual Community: Finding Connection in a Computerized World
    www.rheingold.com/book

The Beginning of Open Source Software and the OSS Revolution

  • Raymond, Eric S (1997) 1999, 2001. The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary. ed. Tim O’Reilly. O’Reilly & Associates (www.catb.org/cathedral-bazaar)
  • The Halloween Documents. 1998

The Cultural Significance of Open Source Software

    • Kelty, Christopher 2008. Two Bits: The Cultural Significance of Free Software. ed. Michael M. J. Fischer and Joseph Dumit. Duke University Press (www.twobits.net)
    • Kelty, Christopher. 2004. “Culture’s Open Sources: Software, Copyright, and Cultural Critique”. Anthropological Quarterly 77(3):499-506
    • Golub, Alex 2004. “Copyright and Taboo.” Anthropological Quarterly 77(3).
    • Stewart, Daniel 2005 “Social Status in an Open-Source Community” American Sociological Review 70(5):823-842

 

 

  • Hemetsberger, Andrea and Christian Reinhardt 2006 “Learning and Knowledge-building in Open-source Communities: A Social-experiential Approach” Management Learning 37(2):187-214
  • Cromie, John and Michael Ewing 2008 “Squatting at the digital campfire, Researching the open source software community”, International Journal of Market Research 50(5):631-653
  • Bitzer, Jurgen, Schrettl, Wolfram, and Philipp J. H. Schroder. 2007. “Intrinsic motivation in open source software development.” Journal of Comparative Economics 35(1): 160-169

 

 

  • Brafman, Ori and Rod. A. Beckstrom. 2006. The Starfish and the Spider: The unstoppable power of leaderless organizations. New York: Penguin Group

Let me know what you think and feel free to add more in the comments!

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