Looking for addon developers willing to be interviewed for dissertation research

[ericpeeg]

Greetings -
I am posting in this forum because I'm seeking individuals who have developed addons for WoW who would be willing to participate in an interview for my doctoral research.

Now, I'm aware such a posting might be viewed with a certain amount of skepticism, or even outright derision, but yes, truly, my doctoral dissertation is a study of WoW addon authors as an example of an online Community of Practice (education-speak for groups of people with common interests and experience). The focus of my research is on what motivates WOW addon authors to get involved with modding, and what the personal rewards are. (If you’re inclined to make comment about the absurdity of someone getting an advanced, accredited degree for this sort of thing, rest assured that my wife has beaten you to the punch. Repeatedly.)

Some basic details. Yes, this is unpaid and totally volunteer - I'm sorry I can't offer payment, other than my undying thanks and a special mention in the final published dissertation. I'm hoping to find individuals willing to speak with me on Skype for 30-45 minutes. The interview will be recorded. All answers will be held and reported anonymously, and the resulting research will be reported in the aggregate, not as individual findings. For those of you familiar with research methods, this is qualitative social science research, not quantitative "hard science" research – there won’t be any needles involved, just questions to learn about your opinions. All respondents will be offered the chance to review the transcripts and comment on the conclusions drawn from the interviews.

The research is guided by the research guidelines of my university (Pepperdine University), and its Institutional Review Board. As part of the interview, I'll need to have you agree to some statements that demonstrate you're participating voluntarily (this is known as Informed Consent), and because of these IRB restrictions, I'm not able to speak with someone younger than 18 - sorry about that. Beyond that, the only criteria for participation is that you have developed an addon for WoW – the kind or function doesn’t matter.

If you’re willing to participate, just drop me a PM or e-mail off my account, and I’ll respond with further information and work with you to arrange a time to conduct the interview. In advance, thanks for considering this request!