Today's technology has created the opportunity for focus groups to go online. They differ a bit from the face-to-face focus group in that the session takes place over a span of time (usually a few days). The facilitator initiates a discussion and gives participants a window of time to respond. The benefits of this approach include cost savings: no facility rental, no refreshments, no travel expenses, and so on. It also means you can invite participants from virtually anywhere. Participants benefit because they have more flexibility with their time as well. Depending on the topic, it's also possible that participants will feel more comfortable about opening up (versus during a face-to-face meeting).

Another potential form of focus group could be found in the idea of crowdsourcing. This is when a person or organization solicits feedback, usually with a social media platform or online community. The downside of this approach is that it's highly unstructured...