On Virtual Face-Work: An Ethnography of Communication Approach to a Live Chat Reference Interaction

Erving Goffman's theoretical framework and concept of face-work has the potential to greatly increase the understanding of interpersonal dynamics in computer-mediated communication realms. This research used an ethnography of communication approach and the concept of face-work to analyze the transcript of an interaction between a librarian and a library user in a Web-based virtual reference service environment. This highly goal-oriented interaction, even though it lacks the immediacy of face-to-face interaction, was found to be a rich source of face-work.