Σύγκριση μεθόδων

	Διαδικτυακή Συμμετοχική Παρατήρηση	Online Focus Group
Πεδίο	Μεθοδολογία Επισκοπήσεων	Μεθοδολογία Επισκοπήσεων
Οικογένεια	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Έτος προέλευσης	Late 1990s–2000s	1946 (focus groups); online variant ~1990s–2000s
Δημιουργός	Christine Hine (virtual ethnography); Robert Kozinets (netnography)	Robert Merton & Patricia Kendall (focus group origins); online adaptation by scholars including Stewart & Shamdasani in the 1990s
Τύπος	Qualitative data collection method	Qualitative group data collection
Θεμελιώδης πηγή	Hine, C. (2000). Virtual Ethnography. SAGE Publications. ISBN: 978-0761958956	Stewart, D. W., & Shamdasani, P. N. (2017). Online Focus Groups. Journal of Advertising, 46(1), 48–60.
Εναλλακτικές ονομασίες	virtual participant observation, digital ethnographic observation, cyber participant observation, internet participant observation	virtual focus group, internet focus group, OFG, web-based focus group
Συναφείς	5	5
Σύνοψη	Online participant observation is a qualitative data collection method in which the researcher enters a digital community or online environment — forums, social media groups, multiplayer games, virtual workplaces — both as a participant and as an observer, systematically documenting social interactions, practices, and meanings as they naturally unfold in the digital space.	An online focus group is a moderated group discussion conducted via internet-based platforms — video conferencing, text chat, or asynchronous forums — to explore shared perceptions, attitudes, and experiences on a defined topic. It inherits the group-interaction dynamics of the traditional focus group while removing geographic barriers and enabling data collection from dispersed or hard-to-reach populations.