Just friends, good acquaintances or soul mates? An exploration of web site connectedness Amalia E. Maulana Binus Business School, Jakarta, Indonesia, and Giana M. Eckhardt Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Abstract Purpose – This study aims to understand the meaning of web site connectedness from the consumer’s point of view, and uncover the underlying meaning of emotional ties between visitors and web sites. Design/methodology/approach – The study, conducted a netnography which uses three qualitative research methods: online interviews; diary analysis; and observation of web site usage and behaviour. Seven respondents were obtained for the depth interviews, and 12 respondents participated in the diary study. The length of interviews was approximately 1.5 hours/respondent; whereas the three-consecutive days of diary entries consist of three-four pages per day/respondent. Observation was undertaken by the lead researcher as an active member of several user groups. Findings – The emic perspective illuminated here shows that web site connectedness consists of three major themes: relatability; dependency; and sense of community. The paper defines these constructs, and suggests that to transform the relationship from “just friends” to “soul mates” web site owners should focus on improving one or all of the connectedness components. Surprisingly, frequency of visit did not determine the depth of the relationship between web sites and their visitors, as is the common assumption in the literature. Originality/value – This research study illuminates a new way to understand the emotional connection between consumers and web sites, and uncovers the three most important factors that lead toward three varying levels of emotional connectedness (just friends, good acquaintances and soul mates). The paper also suggests ways in which emotional connectedness can be enhanced. Keywords Worldwide web, Internet, Consumer behaviour, Consumer psychology Paper type Research paper Introduction Companies are increasingly recognizing the need to be visible in the virtual world. This has resulted in a considerable increase in the number of web sites representing companies or brands. Although having web sites is thought of as a positive action, companies are concerned with the soaring cost of creating and maintaining the web sites and want to justify the benefits derived. They question whether web sites are worth the investment, and how they can encourage more visitors in the long term. One way to accelerate web site use and acceptance is through word-of-mouth (WOM) communication. WOM communication intention is a direct function of customer satisfaction (Fornell et al., 1996; Oh and Parks, 1997; Oh, 1999; Ranaweera and Prabhu, 2003). In the web site context, there is evidence that satisfaction leads to brand loyalty and an emotional connection between the web site users with the web site (Maulana, 2006; Ha, 2006). However, there is still a limited understanding of what causes and The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/1352-2752.htm Exploration of web site connectedness 227 Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal Vol. 10 No. 3, 2007 pp. 227-242 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1352-2752 DOI 10.1108/13522750710754281