Editor’s note: Mary Beth Solomon is director of qualitative research at Cyber Dialogue, a New York research firm.

The curiosity of many marketers about Internet research is tempered by a sense of caution. To some, the terms "on-line" and "focus group" are strange bedfellows. In certain ways, there is no substitute for the face-to-face, human interaction of a live, in-person focus group. And of course, there are downsides to Internet research, namely that it is skewed toward individuals who have access to computers and the Internet - not to mention some obvious physical limitations.

The use of the term "focus group," while not entirely accurate in paralleling its traditional meaning, serves as a defining point of reference for those to whom the on-line medium still is new enough to lack a lexicon of its own. Eventually, techno-lingo will replace the insufficient nomenclature currently in place.

Internet focus groups are not necessarily meant to replace traditional research, but rather to supplement or - particularly when there are budgetary restrictions - serve as an alternative to other research. Cost savings is one of the biggest attractions of this type of qualitative research. Rather than shelling out thousands of dollars on round-trip airplane tickets, facility rental, meals, taxis, and other incidentals, clients merely log on in their own cities, offices, and homes to observe the research in progress.

Nevertheless, to dismiss the "Internet focus group" as an inferior tool is to fail to acknowledge dimensions of the on-line medium that can serve advertisers and marketers quickly and accurately. To paraphrase an old saying, an on-line focus group cannot please all marketers all of the time, but it can please all marketers some of the time. Aside from the obvious benefits of the on-line focus group in terms of time and money, there is an additional overriding value - which lies in getting the hard-to-reach target population. On-line, it’s possible to access populations that are traditionally inaccessible due to time or professional constraints - groups such as physicians, lawyers, senior business executives, and other professionals. Chances are higher they will be available to participate, too, since they do not need to take time from their busy schedules to visit a focus group facility but, rather, can participate from the privacy of their own homes.

When the Internet began competing with TV as home entertainment about three years ago (more than a third of on-line users say they watch less television in favor of being on-line), initially modem-equipped computers were found primarily in high-income, highly-educated, white households. Yet the Internet’s entrance into more homes, public schools, and libraries means that, gradually, it is becoming a tool for a broader demographic. The reach of the Internet - and thus of on-line marketers - is rapidly growing.

It is a mistake to assume that, because a discussion occurs on-line, there is an absence of group dynamic. In fact, the inherent limits of computer-based communication compel the creation of alternative ways to communicate. To use a biological analogy, the diminished use of one sense heightens the sharpness of the others.

Because it is not yet easily possible to see those you’re talking to on-line, certain non-verbal cues (e.g., the way one is sitting, leaning, smirking, etc.) are sacrificed. Nevertheless, there are numerous non-verbal cues that occur in an on-line chat environment. These "emoticons," as they are called among on-line users, are text-based "pictures" that result from the use of punctuation marks which, in combination, appear to look like expression-bearing faces. In addition to emoticons, on-line focus group respondents tend to rely more on words and complete sentences (vs. hand movements or expressions in "real life") to express their thoughts, and on expressing these thoughts in more concise ways - without depending on pauses and hesitations that occur during spoken communications.

Literature provides a good analogy. Written communication depends on the writer’s skill to instill emotion into the words on the page. In fact, the publishing industry is based on communicating ideas and (especially) emotions through words, yet one doesn’t have to be a poet laureate to know that it is possible, if not quite simple, to express a broad range of human emotion through words.

During the traditional focus group, the client observes the discussion from behind a one-way glass; communication with the moderator is impossible without interfering with the discussion. An on-line focus group, though, offers two-way interaction between the moderator and client. The remarkable opportunity for the client to interact directly with the moderator, if necessary, while the moderator conducts the group has become a necessity to operating a fully-effective focus group discussion. Rather than sneaking into the room with a note scribbled on a piece of paper, the client can address the moderator directly, clearly, efficiently, and without interrupting the flow of the group dynamic.

One area of caution among marketers - and often one of the biggest barriers to conducting research on-line - is whether or not the participant is really who he says he is. Yet even when one can see the respondent in physical form, how does one know who he or she really is? In this aspect more than any other, the on-line world parallels the "real" world in the sense that one never truly knows in either environment if the woman in your focus group is Jane Doe, Jane Roe, or John Smith!

Since many on-line focus group respondents participate from their homes, there are a variety of potential distracters. Some marketers are concerned that these distracters will hinder the research. Yet, isn’t it far likelier that a respondent in a traditional focus group might "tune out" the conversation, or might worry about what he’s going to say next because he feels shy about what the woman sitting across from him might think?

In traditional focus groups there are always the "natural talkers" who dominate the discussion, despite a good moderator’s attempt to equalize participant contributions. Similarly, there are others who are less comfortable voicing opinions in a group and who will express themselves more freely when not face-to-face with their peers. The on-line focus group has a built-in leveling effect in the sense that shy participants can express themselves as freely as more outgoing participants. A participant points out why he likes participating in on-line focus groups, explaining, "I can be honest without the face-to-face peer pressure of focus groups," and another offers, "I get to express my opinion without having to hear someone’s reaction." At least in terms of honesty and willingness to offer genuine ideas and opinions, respondents tend to feel more comfortable participating from the privacy of their own homes.

In fact, the likelihood for distraction is lessened when one must focus on reading a computer screen than when one sits in a focus group room watching the moderator, listening to other respondents, thinking about their answers, wondering what they’ll say next, envisioning what’s going on behind the one-way mirror.

It is not only possible to test advertising copy and textual concepts on-line (by incorporating them into the discussion), but it is also common to get reactions to product concepts, ads, and graphics by uploading them to the respondent either prior to or during the on-line focus group and instructing the respondent to download and view the file. Even testing that requires tactile or multi-dimensional exposure can be accomplished by combining on-line focus groups and e-mail communication with regular postal mail or overnight courier - sending the product to be tested and using the on-line medium to get instant reactions.

All of this is not to say that focus groups conducted on the Internet do not have limitations in terms of physical, visual, and tactile interaction. The on-line moderator must recognize that, rather than handicapping the process, the on-line environment offers, in fact, an avenue to a potentially broad, rich method of communication. Perhaps a new name (Modem research? Cyber groups? On-line interviews?) might cast this type of research in a light that rings truer to the marketer who is new to the Internet.