Bulletin Boards Key Merits:

  • Convenient participation: Any time of day or night, from any location - office, home, airport lounge, hotel room, internet cafĂ©

  • Relaxation with focus: Log on ready to give full concentration

  • Depth and richness of responses: Sufficient time to think, respond at length

  • Anonymity: Promotes disclosure of deeper, more personal, honest responses

  • Equal access: Equal airtime, domination is less likely

  • Typing proficiency irrelevant: Speed of response not an issue

  • Flexible: Moderator can amend questions, follow up points raised individually or to group

  • Extended contact: Revisiting the discussion over several days and thus develop comfortable relationships, can complete given tasks during the fieldwork

  • Test material: Can display pictures, video clips, live websites

  • Client observers: Room for unlimited client observers who can save travel and time away from the office

  • Productivity: A moderator can conduct more than one bulletin board at once

  • Instant transcripts for speedy analysis