Qualitative online inquiries are being increasingly used but they still lack methodological elaboration. This is especially true of asynchronous communications between absent communication partners with a time lag. What are the benefits and challenges of asynchronous online communication for qualitative data production? In this paper we discuss the problems of motivation and data quality in typed asynchronous online inquiries which depend on the physical absence of alter and ego. We try to suggest solutions to maintain the relationship with respondents despite them being able to interrupt it at any time and without warning. We also debate perspectives on the analysis of data which reach us without information on the situation in which they were formed.
Qualitative online inquiries are being increasingly used but they still lack methodological elaboration. This is especially true of asynchronous communications between absent communication partners with a time lag. What are the benefits and challenges of asynchronous online communication for qualitative data production? In this paper we discuss the problems of motivation and data quality in typed asynchronous online inquiries which depend on the physical absence of alter and ego. We try to suggest solutions to maintain the relationship with respondents despite them being able to interrupt it at any time and without warning. We also debate perspectives on the analysis of data which reach us without information on the situation in which they were formed.