Reseaches conducted among PF members

[یاسمینه]

Thanks for your concern Yasmeenah. I am aware that your concern stems for your desire of the betterment of our community.

Thank you Admin Khan.
Yes, being a non-Pashtun I feel a member of this community and that's why I react whenever I have impression that someone attempts to use the community and its members.

[Amir al Ghaznavi]

by posting in here, all of you have had a chip implanted in you

[یاسمینه]

by posting in here, all of you have had a chip implanted in you

I already have rods and screws so one chip more won't hurt me

Seriously - I know it well that my internet activity is watched... but who cares.

[Tjanaparh]

Hope it is a potato chip ?

[یاسمینه]

nooo I don't like potato chips

[Tjanaparh]

nooo I don't like potato chips

Better the the ones Amir wants to control us

[یاسمینه]

Better the the ones Amir wants to control us

Hahahaaa maybe I should change the thread name to "Researches conducted on PF members"

[Tjanaparh]

Perhaps yes , lets ask Amir, if his chips are ready to apply !

[یاسمینه]

Perhaps yes , lets ask Amir, if his chips are ready to apply !

I think we will be told off by Admin Khan for non serious off topic in so serious thread....

[Tjanaparh]

You are right!
I am quiet

[Zufash]

I agree with DZJ. She makes perfect sense. This is a public forum, and most researchers, when wanting to conduct a study on a virtual community, don't actually join the forum. They do it as "outsiders," or as observers. And they also know that people are less likely to be themselves or their honest selves if they know they're being "watched" or "studied" or whatever. If someone came here asking us to tell them about our culture, for instance, we're going to say something different --- while our behavior is going to be completely different, opposite even. So, instead, what many researchers do (say in the case of looking at gender relations in an online Pashtun community, fully recognizing the fact that what's being said or done on the Internet may not be reflective of the "real" culture, what happens in reality in the real world) is analyze the members' responses, at least those whose genders can be apparently guessed from their posts. There's millions of threads on PF that can be used for a study like this -- and, of course, all researchers would/should know that one forum does not by any means represent the entire people, and you're also looking at only one certain class of people (i.e., those who have access to the Internet, which leaves out perhaps the majority of the Pashtuns living in Pashtunkhwa/Afghanistan/etc.). Or if someone wants to see how religion is perceived among Pashtuns, they might analyze the Religion section of PF, reading and interpreting the responses of the members, noting how discussions take place, and so on.

I, for one, am using PF to do several studies relevant to Gender Studies, Religious Studies, and Pukhtun studies. I do them both as an observer (or an outsider) and an insider. It's very interesting--and challenging. Exciting, too.

So, whether we like it or not, we are being observed, watched, studied, even reviewed. If you think the way you represent yourself is so bad on the Internet that you would be embarrassed to see your people represented that way in academia or in published books/articles/journals/etc., then work on improving your behavior. Otherwise, what we see from the outside (and, in my case, from the inside!) offers us more than plenty to make claims and conclusions, supported by other posts/behaviors of yours throughout the forum.

Just my big two cents on the matter.

[یاسمینه]

@ Zufash: some will realize that they are "watched" or "studied", some will not. So results will be skewed anyway.
Passive observations are ok. Participating observations or interactive methods require kind of informed conscent. It's methodological ABC. Plus, writting any paper based on surveys or questionnaires you need to mention how data was collected and if informed consent was given. Researchers should respect respondents/participants and then look after results of the study. Methodology of social surveys also has its own ethics.
Another aspect - decency. Usually researchers are guests here.

You are here as a researcher and insider. Don't forget to inform Admins if you have double account. It's not allowed. But I think you don't care about such things. do more care about your projects. Results have the highest priority.

[IamDZJ]

discussion forum given as a reference for research is not even valid. zupesh i suggest you confirm that with whoever you are submitting your research paper to.
other than that, life is not fair. get used to it.

[Zufash]

i suggest you confirm that with whoever you are submitting your research paper to.

~sighs~ Will do!

[Talal]

thats what ive been saying all along, how the heck can u present interactions with online people as research :|