Unobtrusive research is the method of gathering data by means of receiving the information without a subject knowing that they are being observed. Knowing this, I was able to search other classmates blogs on unobtrusive research and have a decent understanding of this type of research. Being that I am a fan of Major League Baseball, and it is the Post- Season, I took a great liking to Jessica Tessier's blog on Roy Halladay and how blogs are great for unobtrusive researchers. Blogs have become very popular over the last few years, especially as more social medias emerge. Jessica's Blog, sports public relations was very intriguing and gave an insight on a fans perspective of Roy Halladay, a thirteen year veteran in the league's first playoff debut.
Now a social researcher doing unobtrusive research can hit the jackpot, by researching fans blogs, and professionals blogs. Jessica says, " These blogs give fans or non- fans something to converse about. They also give great insight into blogger's views and opinions." I think think this is a great tool because with each blog comes a comment section. Many other people will read blogs and then post their own comments to the situation. This may very well help a researcher that is conducting unobtrusive research
The second blog I enjoyed was about social media's and the way it can influence unobtrusive research. Amy Hardman's blog was pretty cool, because it brought up some interesting ideas that I hadn't even thought of. According to Amy's Unobtrusive Research, social media's such as Facebook and Twitter allow insight into someone's life without actually being there yourself or questioning them. Things such as religion, race, gender, birthday, age, and favorite activities are all easily accessed when looking at someone's page. this is a great tool for researchers to use.
Amy also made a great point by telling us that the researchers should also look at peoples statuses. She used a great example of one of her own friends. "For example, one of my facebook friends Morgan* updated her status to say “its fine York Hill shuttle. I don't have a job or homework or any sort of life I have to get on with. Actually, I like waiting at the shuttle stop all day” expressing her frustration over the York Hill shuttle situation. If I was researching information on the successfulness of the Quinnipiac shuttle system, I would most definitely take this information into account (with Morgan being completely unaware of my withdrawal of information from her). "
I agree with Amy. This is a perfect example of how researchers can use social media's to gauge their research prospects.
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