Online Interviews for Qualitative Research

Online Research
Computers and the Internet are enabling a change in the ways we communicate, access and interact with information, and conduct research. Web technologies are facilitating the process of research by enabling researchers to reach a larger and more geographically diverse sample in a more economical way. According to Dr. Janet Salmons, qualitative researchers are now able to recruit, interact with and gather information from participants from around the world without having to travel. Qualitative researchers in the past have collected data through interviews, observations and document analysis—and all of these can be carried out online.

Synchronous interviews can make use of chat, video calls or web conferencing platforms, or virtual worlds. Asynchronous interviews can use email or chat, or questionnaires published online using web technologies such as google drive and social networks such as Facebook, Linkedin, Scoopit, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest and so on.

Online interviews are gaining popularity as a replacement for phone calls and face-to-face meetings for many reasons. Online interviews take place at a convenient time and place, the researcher and participant may feel less threatened and more at ease during the interaction. They can draw on rich visual exchanges and use the full range of communication potential offered online. You are invited to read more about online interviews and how they can facilitate your next research in the following books by Dr. Janet Salmons:

Janet Salmons is a mentor to many educators around the world. She is always ready to help graduate students with their research.
The following information was copied from Janet’s  Google plus about page.
“Janet Salmons has served on the graduate faculty of the Capella University School of Business and Technology since 1999. She develops and teaches courses in leadership and team leadership, serves as dissertation mentor for doctoral learners and as Colloquium faculty. She is a scholar-practitioner and consultant through her company, Vision2Lead, Inc“.
“Dr. Salmons edited Cases in Online Interview Research (2012) and wrote Online Interviews in Real Time (2010) from Sage Publications. Her chapter, “Putting the “E” in Entrepreneurship: Women Entrepreneurs in the Digital Age” will appear in the forthcoming reference book, Women Entrepreneurship: New Management and Leadership Models. She edited the Handbook of Research on Electronic Collaboration and Organizational Synergy with Lynn Wilson (2009), published by IGI Global. This collection contains 50 peer reviewed chapters from researchers from 20 countries and diverse disciplines.
She contributed chapters to Lexicon of Online and Distance Education (2010), the Encyclopedia of Information Technology Curriculum Integration (2007) and Student Plagiarism in an Online World Problems and Solutions (2007). Dr. Salmons is a frequent presenter for face-to-face, online and virtual world seminars and conferences” (Google Plus).

Conducting Online Interviews on WizIQ
I just completed a research study on blended learning. I conducted the interviews online on WizIQ live class. The experience was amazing because the researcher and the participants become learning partners in the process. There a closeness that develops during online interviews. I have made a few very close friendships as a result of online interviews. Janet is a pioneer in the area of online interviews.

Meet Dr. Janet Salmons on WizIQ
You are invited to meet Janet Salmons on WizIQ January 10, 2013 on WizIQ Conversation so you can learn more about online research. Janet and I will be  discussing her book on Cases in Online Interview Research. The book is a collection of  case studies. I contributed to chapter 10. It was a wonderful experience collaborating with Janet on the chapter. I’m looking forward to the conversation on WizIQ.

WizIQ, Webinar

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