Mapping the Complexities of Online Dialogue: An Analytical Modeling Technique

Abstract

The e-Dialogue platform was developed in 2001 to explore the potential of using the Internet for engaging diverse groups of people and multiple perspectives in substantive dialogue on sustainability. The system is online, text-based, and serves as a transdisciplinary space for bringing together researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and community leaders. The Newell-Dale Conversation Modeling Technique (NDCMT) was designed for in-depth analysis of e-Dialogue conversations and uses empirical methodology to minimize observer bias during analysis of a conversation transcript. NDCMT elucidates emergent ideas, identifies connections between ideas and themes, and provides a coherent synthesis and deeper understanding of the underlying patterns of online conversations. Continual application and improvement of NDCMT can lead to powerful methodologies for empirically analyzing digital discourse and better capture of innovations produced through such discourse. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs140221

Keywords

• dialogue
• visualization
• sustainability
• text
• conversation analysis