ComuniSfera

* An organizational profile

* Names and bios of principals and executives of your organization

* A PR contact with name, email address and telephone number

* Press releases, presented with the most recent first

Optional extras for your press room include:

* Online versions of recent annual reports or white papers

* Downloadable photos of products or key personnel

* Statements about relevant controversial issues currently in the news

* Suggested angles for feature stories including your organization

* Sample questions for talk show hosts

* Links to pertinent studies, statistics and news stories

* Links to previous coverage you’ve enjoyed

* Prewritten use-as-is stories or tips

* Audio or video clips, especially for music performers

Traditionally, the interview is regarded as a largely qualitative approach where the researcher becomes itself an instrument of the research method (Chen and Hinton, 1999). It is a process in which meanings are created from the personal interaction between interviewer and interviewee. Often, the interview is used in areas where quantitative research can not capture the richness of the phenomenon. It allows flexibility in data collection but it is considered as the most expensive technique. The method of online interview was developed to reduce costs associated with geographic distance of the interviewees. As in the case of online focus groups, O’Connor and Madge (2001) consider that there are two types of online interviews: the synchronized interview by instant messaging (Chen and Hinton, 1999) and a-synchronized interview by e-mail (Bennett, 1998).

The method of online interview has the advantage to be more structured than the classic interview since it leaves the interviewee the time required to respond, and allows an instant data backup. This is a method that reduces costs in terms of time, travel costs and data transcription (O’Connor and Madge, 2001). It also provides access to distant participants or to those whose availability is reduced. Nevertheless, it remains a method limited to subjects with Internet connexion and some expertise in messaging software. In addition, the loss of paralinguistic attributes can introduce a bias as to the completeness of the collected data (Chen and Hinton, 1999).

Liav (2004) mentions the liquefaction and the malleability of virtual communities and sites of their interactions as a major difficulty in monitoring the members of the community observed. Anonymity is also a problem that has been widely cited by research specialists.

The difficulty may come from the possible change in the identity of subjects (Liav, 2004) and researchers (Williams, 2007). Thus, anonymity could sow doubt in the trust relationship between the researcher and his/her subjects. Finally, the absence of the physical body remains the major challenge of online ethnography. Firstly, the interactions can distort the textual model of communication; in addition, there is a loss of meaning and significance coming from the non-verbal exchanges of gestures and body. Liav (2004) considers that the data collected are incomplete and provide a limited picture of the real world.