Thank you thank you thank you! Your responses have helped a lot. I get the main point about doing intense bursts of work while keeping time aside for family. And it helps to know that other people face this too. I already have the X box at home. It is great as long as it lasts, but the inevitable fights over which games to play drive me nuts. Holidays are definitely the worst. And I have to say that at least my kids can find something to do when they are bored- if I explain to them that I really need time to work. The husband, on the other hand...

Just to add to the brilliant suggestions given so far- if you add a cover letter explaining that despite the financial problems you still faced up to the challenge and finished the course (however long it takes) I think that given the current economic climate you might even get some respect.

Is there anyone who has this problem- how to juggle doing a PhD and looking after a family at the same time? I have two kids (pre-teen) and a husband who travels a great deal. It's all good- I wouldn't change anything in my life, but if anyone has suggestions on how to organise the daily nitty gritty of the PhD work around family I would love to hear them.

There has been a whole bunch of stuff written about the ethics of internet research. A lot of people view the internet as an empirical freebie store- just pop in an pick up what you want. Clearly the people who are genuine posters on the sites do not appreciate that feeling. Yet they do know that what they post is not private- anyone can see it. So what is the real issue here, if not privacy, per se? Bakardjieva and Feenberg wrote a paper in which they said that it is not so much privacy that is at the root of ethical issues, but alienation. Posters do not want to be quoted out of context, and do not want their content to be used for anything other than what they originally intended it for. So where does that leave researchers? Well B and F say that the best way to get around it is to design the research such that the participants are collaborators, who contribute to discussions about emerging methodology, analysis and theory. May not be everyone's cup of tea, but certainly something to think about!

There is some great advice in the replies so far and I am not going to repeat any of it. Also, it won't work unless you can answer the following questions:

1. What is it EXACTLY that you are so afraid of? Criticism? Failure? Do you equate the first with the second? Why?
2. What is the worst that can happen?

I would advise writing out your answers- a sort of reflective process. You are obviously smart and brave, or you would not be where you are now. Your supervisor believes in you and is giving you opportunities some of us have to fight tooth and nail for.

I have felt this sort of paralysis before. Like you are being chased and can only run in slow motion. In my experience, the best antidote is action.Get started, and you find that it is not as bad as you feared. Also, practice in front of anyone who will listen.

I apologise if I sound harsh or judgemental. Neither is my intention. Like I said, you sound just the way I have felt before.

All the best!

At the risk of sounding completely judgemental, I think you really need to plan analytical strategies before data collection, because how you collect your data is very largely (but not exclusively) based on how you are planning to analyse it, which in turn depends on what you want to find out. Having said that, it sounds as though you know what to do, and are just having a panic attack! Are you planning to start with some sort of thematic coding? That might be a good way to start.