Linganisha mbinu

	Uchunguzi Mtandaoni Usioshirikisha	Kikundi cha Mtandaoni
Nyanja	Metodolojia ya Dodoso	Metodolojia ya Dodoso
Familia	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Mwaka wa asili	Late 1990s–2000s	1946 (focus groups); online variant ~1990s–2000s
Mwanzilishi	Christine Hine; Robert Kozinets (digital/online adaptation)	Robert Merton & Patricia Kendall (focus group origins); online adaptation by scholars including Stewart & Shamdasani in the 1990s
Aina	Qualitative data collection technique	Qualitative group data collection
Chanzo asilia	Kozinets, R. V. (2010). Netnography: Doing Ethnographic Research Online. Sage. ISBN: 978-1847875228	Stewart, D. W., & Shamdasani, P. N. (2017). Online Focus Groups. Journal of Advertising, 46(1), 48–60.
Majina mbadala	digital non-participant observation, passive online observation, covert online observation, online unobtrusive observation	virtual focus group, internet focus group, OFG, web-based focus group
Zinazohusiana	6	5
Muhtasari	Online non-participant observation is a qualitative data collection technique in which the researcher watches and records naturally occurring behaviour in digital settings — forums, social media platforms, chat groups, comment sections, or online communities — without joining, interacting with, or disclosing their presence to participants. The approach transplants the classical non-participant observation tradition into internet-mediated spaces, enabling study of authentic discourse and interaction as it unfolds organically.	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.