In this paper, we further articulate connective ethnography and consider how it may add to qualitative studies of collaborative learning in naturalistic, computer-mediated settings. Despite their physical separation, members of online affinity spaces work and learn together—they construct and review artifacts and share their work across sites. To trace these processes, we examine the complex artifacts and texts that constitute social practice in these spaces. We consider how expanding connective ethnography may meet researchers’ needs in online contexts and we raise questions about how participants learn in these settings. Finally, we outline principles for an affinity space ethnography designed to capture the collaborative web of social interactions and audiences inherent to participation in affinity spaces.
