I suppose another view point on the significance of ethnography in this context would be the importance of objects telling the story of a place, rather than the actual place... In such a materialistic and fairly nomadic culture, objects become just as important to a story of place as actually being there. They serve as a starting point for triggering memories of past events or 'the way things were'... this project is interesting in that it tells these stories as the context of place changes for the object, telling not just stories associated with that particular object, but also stories that are triggered by memories of similar objects... The site itself then becomes a place where these stories can be told, no matter their actual distance.... but yes, fairly vague on the ethnography side of things...
I am admittedly bad at finding links that aren't already posted here... I thought this person brought up some of the key points we have been discussing concerning where digital ethnography can take place in relation to traditional ethnographic terminology... specifically, defining a 'field site'... if this link works...
"n this article, we use digital technologies (the Subcam and Webdiver) to capture, share and analyze collectively specific user experience. We examine the transition between 'outside' and 'inside' when people come home, and the steps needed to build the 'being-at-home' feeling" (from Abstract)
ABSTRACT In this review essay, the academic merits of three
anthropological blogs ("Savage Minds," "Zero Anthropology" [formerly
"Open Anthropology"], and the official blog of the American
Anthropological Association) are considered.