Gender

You are being asked to volunteer for a research project. This project is concerned with the way in which characters are described in MOOs (Multi-User-Domain Object Oriented). As a participant, you will complete an online survey regarding your MOO character and how it compares to your own person. You may also be asked to volunteer to join a forum to further discuss your MOO character. This study is a research project of Master’s Student Melissa Anderson Erne (PI) and Michelle Smith of Bowling Green State University and is for the class THEA 768: Gender and Sexuality.

For you to participate, you must agree to this consent form by clicking “AGREE” at the end of the form. In addition, please print this form out for your own records. In order to complete the survey you must agree to this consent form by clicking “AGREE”. If you have any questions about the terms of this form before you consent, you may email us at [email protected].

YOU MUST BE OVER 18 IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS STUDY. By clicking on “AGREE” below you certify that you are over 18 and have the legal ability to consent to participate.

This survey will be open until May 1, 2004, with the forum taking place in May or June 2004 (exact date TBA). The survey should take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete.

In the course of this survey, we will ask you to disclose some or all of the following:

• The gender (male, female, other) of your MOO character and your real-life gender.
  
• The amount of time you spend on the MOO and whether you participate in any other MOOs.
  
• Personal experiences related to your choice of character gender.
  

If you choose to also take part in the online forum, you will be asked to provide contact information so that we may send you forum details at a later date. This contact information will be used for purposes of the forum ONLY; we will not provide your contact information to any outside mailing lists or third-party providers.

Given the increased role of technology-based communities in mainstream culture, we hope this study will broaden the understanding of the complexity of online culture and its relation to our everyday lives.

The risks involved in this study are minimal. For research purposes, your responses will be recorded. All information will be kept confidential, and will be used only for research purposes. Descriptions of your online experiences may appear in written and oral presentations of the results of this research. Every effort will be taken to assure the confidentiality of participant comments in interviews, and survey results will be presented anonymously unless you give us specific permission to use your character name. All efforts will be made to protect the identity of the participants; therefore all real names and identifying information will be changed to insure confidentiality.

Your have rights as a research volunteer. Taking part in this study is completely voluntary. If you do not take part, there will be no penalty. You may discontinue your participation at any time with no penalty. If you have any questions about this study, email us at:

Melissa Anderson Erne (PI)

[email protected]

Michelle Smith

[email protected]

Dr. Lesa Lockford (Faculty Advisor)

[email protected]

You may also contact either of us at the Department of Theatre and Film, Bowling Green State University, (419) 372-2222.

If you have questions about the conduct of this study or your rights as a research participant, you may contact the Chair of Bowling Green State University’s Human Subjects Review Board at (419) 372-7716 or [email protected].

By clicking on “AGREE” below you indicate that the researchers have answered all of your questions to your satisfaction and that you consent to your participation in this study. Please print out a copy of this form for your records.

Thanks!