title: Internet ethnography: a review of methodological considerations for studying online illness blogs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In recent history, the Internet has emerged as a wealth of archived, ongoing, interactive, and socially mediated data. Conducting Internet ethnography is a fairly new methodological approach, however, it has been previously described as a valid form of inquiry. Illness blogs, in particular, have great implications for nurse researchers, as they are able to study the experience of illness in a naturalistic and longitudinal manner, often with greater detail than data relying solely on participant recall. Participants are able to produce online illness blogs as a way to share their own illness narratives and connect with others going through similar processes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this paper is to discuss methodological considerations in studying online illness blogs through Internet ethnography.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article provides an overview of Internet ethnography as an emerging qualitative method and an introduction to research using illness blogs. Through use of this method in an exemplar study of young women with cancer, key decision points are highlighted along with the study team's field experiences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Issues pertaining to method applicability, active vs. passive involvement as a researcher, ethical considerations, what constitutes data, sampling approach, procedural and analytic decisions, and thoughts regarding reflexivity and voice of the research participants' are addressed. Strengths and limitations of the study of online illness blogs through Internet ethnography in nursing science are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Virginia School of Nursing, Charlottesville, VA, USA. Electronic address: jlk2t@virginia.edu.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keim-Malpass
authors.affiliation: Professor Emeritus, University of Virginia School of Nursing, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Steeves
authors.affiliation: Madeline Higginbotham Sly Professor of Nursing, University of Virginia School of Nursing, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kennedy
mesh_terms: D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet
keywords: Blog; Ethnography; Illness blog; Internet; Methods; Qualitative