HELLO GAIA MEMBERS,
My name is Katie and I am a graduate student from Brock University in Ontario, Canada. I am currently working on a master’s thesis and I would like to invite you to participate in a study that involves research. The purpose of this study is examine how young people use social forums and online social communities to identify and address issues of public concern, including electoral action (things people do concerning campaigns and elections), civic action (things people do to help in their communities and/or to contribute to social causes such as animal rights, human rights, etc.), and political voice (things people do to give expression to their political and social viewpoints).

WHAT’S INVOLVED
Below I have posted several questions that you can comment on. Commenting is an option and you are in no way obligated to do so at any point. You can also contact me individually through email at ke11iq@brocku.ca as an alternative to answering the questions in the group context. Please be advised that if you choose to answer any of the questions your responses may be used for research purposes. If you do not wish to participate in this research project then kindly refrain from responding to the questions.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS
The benefit of your participation in this research project is that you will have the opportunity to contribute your thoughts about political issues to a growing field of study that views young people as social actors who have considerable insight to offer as young people, rather than as merely future adults

CONFIDENTIALITY
All information you supply during the research will be held in confidence and your name will not appear in any report or publication of the research. A pseudonym will be used in place of your online name. Data collected during this study will be stored in a secure place that is only accessible by the researcher. Data will be kept for the duration of the study, approximately one year, after which time it will be destroyed and disposed of.

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION
Participation in this study is voluntary. If you wish, you may decline to answer any questions or participate in any component of the study. Further, you may decide to withdraw from this study at any time and may do so without any penalty.

CONTACT INFORMATION AND ETHICS CLEARANCE
If you have any questions about this study or require further information, please contact Katie at ke11iq@brocku.ca or Rebecca at rraby@brocku.ca. This study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through the Research Ethics Board at Brock University


QUESTIONS

Please be advised that you are not obligated to respond to all or any of the following questions. However, if you choose to make a comment please indicate in your response which question you are answering. Please respond to the questions by February 8th, 2013.

1) Do you think that Gaia is a space where people can speak about issues that they wouldn’t necessarily be able to speak about in the real world? Is so, in what ways?

2) Do you think that the rules and regulations set out by Gaia influence what you write/talk about in this forum? If so, in what ways?

3) What are the types of political issues that you feel comfortable talking about in this forum? Are there any political issues that you feel uncomfortable talking about?

4) Do you consider this group a political activist group? Why or why not?

5) Are you as politically active in the real world as you are in Gaia? If so, in what ways?

6) Do you think that Gaia and/or this forum is an effective way to voice your opinions on political matters and/or to bring about societal change? Why or why not?

Thank you for your assistance in this project.

Sincerely, Katie (Chloeroxy)