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252 CHAPTER 9 Ethnography

research in actual fires being, of course, too dangerous—aimed at exploring how a
tool might work. Members of the research team then donned firefighting gear and
joined in a simulation involving navigational activities commonly used by firefighters.
Observations from their participation, and from observing firefighters in other
simulations, helped the researchers understand how firefighters use improvisation and
collaboration to navigate while fighting fires (Denef et al., 2008).

9.5.5 VIRTUAL ETHNOGRAPHY
Most of the examples discussed thus far in this chapter involve “real-world” ethnog-
raphies—studies of groups and communities situated in familiar, physical settings.
This is not an inherent limitation in the technique—ethnography does not always
mean a researcher being present physically to observe the group or community. The
growth of countless online communities supporting many different types of interac-
tion presents the possibility of “virtual ethnography.”
The term “virtual ethnography” has been used to describe different things, such
as using web cams or videos (Blomberg et al., 2007). However, this in no way
involves participation and, furthermore, there is a high likelihood of missing a
lot of contextual information as people may act differently for the camera, shut
off the camera at times, or avoid the area with the camera. If the researcher is not
in the context, this leads to a poorer quality of data collection and understanding.
However, when ethnographic methods are used to research a community that
is strictly virtual or online, there is less likelihood of missing anything, as the
“there” is only online. If participation is the goal, if being in the context is the goal,
researchers can “be” in a virtual community and experience it as everyone else is
experiencing it.
The virtual nature of these communities presents some opportunities and chal-
lenges for ethnographic researchers. Online identity is much more fluid and con-
trollable than it is in the real world. In many online groups, message boards, and
virtual worlds, users can control exactly what others know about us and how they
see us. This can be very convenient for ethnographic study, as researchers can easily
define themselves as complete participants (with some limitations), without having
to face the challenge of playing those roles in frequent face-to-face relationships.
Furthermore, researchers might find that maintaining scientific objectivity is rela-
tively easy when all interaction with the subjects of study are conducted through the
mediation of a computer screen.
The tenuous nature of links between online identities presents some interest-
ing possibilities for ethnographers. As many online communities require little, if
any, direct link between a virtual identity and a real person, conducting an ethno-
graphic study without revealing one's identity as a researcher is a very real possibil-
ity. Furthermore, the transient and artificial notion of participation in these virtual
worlds makes complete participation a very real possibility. Before embarking on
any study of this sort, you might want to consider what circumstances merit revealing
your identity as a researcher. For example, you might decide to “out” yourself to an