Computer-assisted Webnography

Abstract

Through social media applications, consumers are increasingly participating in information processes. When booking a journey, consumer opinions exchanged via modern media shape the reputation of enterprises like travel agencies and thus have a major impact on the decision to book a journey. Online market research is regarded as a crucial tool to steer these online discourses, with the emphasis on quantitative analyses. However, looking at the Web as a social forum can provide additional insights. Taking user-generated data has the advantage that it is collected within a natural setting. Webnography is an attempt to capture this information in a systematic way. Therefore, in this article, Computer-Assisted Webnography is presented as an innovative control method. It is based on the practical modification of ethnographic methods. Computer-Assisted Webnography is meant to combine quantitative and qualitative methods and merges both the approaches on a virtual working platform, so that the semiotic codes of any given target group can be extracted efficiently and precisely. The results shall be used to create individual reputation management strategies.