Virtual ethnography can be a way to combine content (discourse) analysis and interviewing people.

Thomsen et al. (1998) discuss methods to study online (virtual) communities and argue that to be rigorous and valid, the research should "triangulate" discourse analysis and interviews. The discussion starts with a question "are virtual communities "real" communities," i.e. do they have dense, systematic interpersonal relationships between members. The authors refer to the literature (Rheingold, Oldenburg, Jones) to demonstrate that the number of those who think virtual communities are in fact communities is growing.

To study online communities as communities it’s necessary to re-define the following concepts: social interaction (physical co-presence is not necessary for intimate quality interaction,) social bonds (close personal relationships can be built over computer-mediated communication,) and empirical experience (virtual encounters are incorporated into people’s daily, lived experiences.)

If the assumptions about virtual communities are re-defined, it’s possible to study them using ethnography. The focus of ethnography shifts toward textual analysis but other characteristics of the method remain. The legitimacy of observations and results depend on the researcher’s ability to immerse him/herself in the world of the observed. Textual analysis alone without interactions with people is not enough. Therefore it’s necessary to adapt the strategies of participant observation and compliment the textual analysis with interviews. Principles of participant observation applicable to studying online communities: prolonged engagement, persistent observations, use of “insiders” or informants, development of trust (this may be hard when dealing with dissimilar people).

Conclusion: the study of online communities can be methodologically rigorous, we need more discussion to develop the method.