InterviewsAppendix

Introduction to Questioning
      Thank you for participating in my experiment. I am researching the formation of relationships over the Internet for my Advanced Social Psychology class. I would like to make you aware that you may withdraw at any time, and also that all of your answers will remain completely confidential. If you have any questions during the interview, please stop me and ask.
Protocol
       1. How frequently do you access the Internet?
       2. What do you usually do while you're online?
       3. Do you talk with your friends and family over the computer? If so, how often?
       4. What other methods of communication do you use to stay in touch with them besides this?
       5. Have you ever used the Internet to help you maintain a friendship or relationship over a long distance? If so . . .
               a) Was it helpful? How so?
               b) Were you able to successfully read the other person's emotions and understand their context over the computer? If not, why? If so, what cues helped you in doing so? (If the participant only responds to one aspect of this question, repeat or rephrase until it is answered entirely).
               c) Has the introduction of emoticons/graphic accents affected your ability to read emotions and context online? (Again, repeat or rephrase if the participant only responds to one aspect of this question).
               d) Have you ever misunderstood someone or been misunderstood while talking online?
               e) Did the Internet change the quality of your relationship?
               f) Did the frequency with which you talked to the person change after you began talking online? (For clarification: I mean speaking to each other in general, including phone, letters, and face-to-face conversation).
               g) Did it cause a change in how often you talk face to face, through letters, or on the phone?
               h) Did it make your relationship seem more or less emotional? More or less close?
       6. Have you ever met someone online and gone on to form a friendship or relationship with them? If not, what has kept you from doing so (i.e.- were you unable to trust people you met online)? If so . . .
               a) What is that relationship like?
               b) How did you meet them? (For clarification: Introduced by and acquaintance? In a chat room? On a message board?)
               c) Is your relationship with this person more or less revealing than relationships you have in real life?
               d) Did you have trouble trusting this person initially? If yes, why? If no, what allowed you to trust them?
               e) Have you ever mislead them about anything (including your age, sex or location)?
               f) Do they live in the same state as you? (This question is relatively unimportant, but is used here as a lead-in question).
               g) Have you ever met them in person? If so, how was that interaction different from the interactions you have had online?
               h) How did they seem relative to your expectations?
               i) Were you able to have a conversation similar to the ones you previously had online? Why or why not?
       7. I only have one final question--How are your online relationships different from your real-life ones?
Closing
       That was the last of my questions--is there anything you would like to ask me? Thanks again! If you have any questions or concerns about the interview, or if you would like to add or change any of your answers, you can reach me at . . . .