I would be interested in hearing if anyone has had any experience with
research involving electronic talk and interactions on bulletin boards,
officially called "Internet relay-chat".  Specifically, I would like to know
about informed consent and confidentiality issues, and also legal questions.
Since the conversations are publicly available, can consent be waived?  I
have a researcher interested in recording topics discussed, the frequency,
and parts of actual communication without recording names or nicknames used.
Does this research require IRB approval?

Thanks

Ellen