Yesterdays experiment in class with interviewing in person and then online really made what Kivits wrote about make sense. I really think there are some definite advantages and disadvantages to each approach. My partner and I found that we covered a lot more material in a lot less time when we were speaking face to face, but it was more ackward and we were each a little more hesitate to ask personal questions. We felt like we had to develop some sort of friendship before we were comfortable with asking questions about each others lives. This is similar to what Kivits talked about needing to do with online research as well. Maybe it is important to establish a friendly relationship in any kind of interviewing.
With the online interview my partner sometimes only answered part of the question and he wasn’t able to clarify what it was exactly that I was asking, but we thought that this type of interview is beneficial because of its flexibility. If an interviewee has a busy reschedule, he or she can respond to a question whenever it is convenient for them. The drawback to this though, is that there is sometimes long periods of waiting on the other end. Another benefit we saw to this type of interviewing is that all the information is already stored in the computer and doesn’t need to be typed from a recording. It is organized and dated. We also felt more comfortable opening up when we were interacting on the screen than face to face.
In face to face interviewing though there was more humor. We were able to change tone quickly and share jokes and then get right back into what we were doing. We covered a lot more material, but the interviewer found it distraction to try to record and listen at the same time. We also felt more awkward and shy with one another.
There are drawback and benefits to each approach and they would have to be considered for a research project. For myself, my decision would depend on the type of research I was doing and the accessibility of the people I was trying to reach.
