Web Survey Bibliography

Title Visiting rural "virtual villages" through online surveys and online ethnography
Author Skerratt, S., Warren, M.
Source The ASC's 4th International Conference on Survey and Statistical Computing, 2003: The Impact of Technology on Survey Process
Year 2003
Access date 17.05.2004
Presentation ppt (1237k)
Abstract The proliferation of rural village websites in recent years, and websites which act as portals for these individual villages, can be seen as a demonstration of the perceived validation which such a web-presence gives. Images implying values of ‘community’ and ‘neighbourhood’ can be portrayed through this medium, with the aim, inter alia, of promoting general interest in the village and area, and providing services to its inhabitants. Perhaps more importantly, such ‘virtual villages’ appear to offer a medium for stimulating rural development, for instance by attracting tourists and businesses, by offering agencies access to ready-made communications networks, and by creating new ‘communities’, more or less grounded in the old, which can act as catalysts for initiative. This paper examines the possibility for us as researchers to visit and understand these rural villages through virtual means, firstly, through an email survey of webmasters, and secondly, through ‘virtual ethnography’ (after Hine, 2000). Firstly, we examine the types of data and insights that can be generated through the email survey, including the types of interactions which take place between webmaster and researcher, for example in terms of dialogue, offers of help, clarification and confidentiality issues. Secondly, we assess the potential afforded by this online technique, for the rapid validation of findings by respondents. Thirdly, we present and assess those data types which are accessible through an ‘online ethnography’ of the site masters and their sites, and the extent to which these are different from, and add value and depth to, the survey data. Finally, we evaluate the effectiveness of the email/online medium of data capture for generating findings about such place-based, online communities, and the extent to which this approach subsequently allows us to assess the potential for such rural village websites within rural development. The data are generated through a survey of 200 rural village websites during the summer/autumn of 2002, and an online ethnography of a purposive sub-sample of webmasters during the winter of 2002-2003.
Access/Direct link Homepage - conference (abstract)
Year of publication2003
Bibliographic typeConferences, workshops, tutorials, presentations
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Web Survey Bibliography (6476)

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