Traditional ethnography focuses on identifiable cultural groupings of individuals and, through a process of observation and participant interviews (among other techniques), the researcher explores the effects of the social dynamic with regard to a topic of interest. Webethnography (also known as netnography, webnography, online ethnography and virtual ethnography) involves the application of ethnographic research methods to specific online communities through the observation and analysis of online dialogue and other online artefacts. This paper contends that webethnography is appropriate only where almost all interactions between group members occur online through the community site - that is, the community is a virtual community in the truest sense. Where communities conduct some or most of their interaction offline, webethnography is less appropriate as a stand-alone research method. Using a case study of project manager online communities on the social networking site www.LinkedIn.com , we argue that a triangulation with offline data sources helps to ensure data validity and generalisation to the group of interest. This paper presents a typology that proposes three general approaches to research design, to account for the differing scope of online cultural groups. The implications of this typology include the addition of additional precautions in the design of ethnographic studies.

Abstract-Essential hypertension has a familial predisposition, but the phenotype of elevated blood pressure has delayed penetrance. Because the kidney is a crucial determinant of blood pressure homeostasis, we studied early glomerular alterations in still-normotensive young subjects at genetic risk of hypertension. , although cGMP did not change during the amino acid infusion (Pϭ0.703). FH status, baseline GFR, and baseline serum insulin jointly predicted GFR response to amino acids (Pϭ0.0013), accounting for Ϸ45% of the variance in GFR response. Decline in FE Li ϩ, an inverse index of proximal tubular reabsorption, paralleled increase in GFR (rϭϪ0.506, Pϭ0.01), suggesting differences in proximal tubular reabsorption during amino acids between the FH groups. GFR response to amino acid infusion was blunted in the FHϩ group despite significantly higher serum concentrations of 6 amino acids (arginine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, and valine) in the FHϩ group, suggesting a novel form of insulin resistance (to the amino acid-translocating action of insulin) in FHϩ subjects. We conclude that blunted glomerular filtration reserve in response to amino acids is an early-penetrance phenotype seen even in still-normotensive subjects at genetic risk of hypertension and is linked to impaired formation of NO· in the kidney. Corresponding changes in GFR and fractional excretion of Li ϩ suggest that altered proximal tubular reabsorption after amino acids is an early pathophysiologic mechanism. Resistance to the amino acid-translocating actions of insulin may play a role in the biological response to amino acids in this setting. This glomerular reserve phenotype may be useful in genetic studies of renal traits preceding or predisposing to hypertension. (Hypertension. 2001;37:898-906.)