This paper focuses on methodological aspects of better understanding the web presence of UK youth organizations. Web presence can aim to provide information and promote participation, but can also encourage a particular view of citizenship. The current research is interested in examining how youth organizations use their web presence, for example how they gather information from visitors or get youth engaged in the organization. The paper will present a focus on methodological aspects of this research, examining both qualitative and quantitative approaches. It will first describe the method of feature analysis and then demonstrate how this analysis was conducted on a sample of youth political websites, focusing on web elements that encourage information acquisition and political engagement. Next, it will discuss another solution to better understanding online content: qualitative interviews with web producers. Finally, it will end by identifying challenges relevant to these methodological choices, and discuss in particular the issue of expanding analysis to social media. This paper contributes to an understanding of how online spaces are evolving in their methods and motivations for communication, particularly in a citizenship realm. This is a particularly important focus in an environment of increasing concern as to how to reach citizens online. In addition, by examining both qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis, the paper will demonstrate research techniques that will further opportunities for online analysis.
