Buzz Session Preview: Social Media Research Guidelines

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

Time is running out! Sign up for today’s preview of the MRA First Outlook Conference session on social media research guidelines. The webinar will highlight some of the issues that have been raised regarding this new methodology and, along with Jim Longo and Ray Poynter, is presented by Annie Pettit, the Chief Research Officer of Conversition Strategies.

Sign up here.

Observational Research – The Original Research Method

Monday, September 27th, 2010

Market researchers get so caught up in surveys and focus groups that we forget about other well-recognized and legitimate forms of research, two of which are perfect for describing social media research.

First, observational research entails watching people in public, natural environments with no attempts to interfere with or talk to them. In this style of research, people go about their daily lives, doing all the things that they would normally do, and are unaware that they are part of a research study. This method works well when the researcher does not plan to talk to anyone nor pose as a member of group. You can’t ask people about their motivations or to clarify their position, but the behaviour is 100% natural. (This is the type of research that Conversition specializes in.)

Darnok from morguefile

Second, participant observation research also entails watching people in public, natural environments. In this case, the researchers do engage with people but only once the researcher has specifically identified themselves to each person as someone who is conducting research. People who wish to extract themselves from the research process can then do so. Or, they may request that information pertaining to them not be used. If you’re familiar with the Hawthorne effect, then you can see why telling people you are a researcher can be problematic.

Ethical dilemmas are common to many types of research and have been debated for decades. We now all agree that research that has the potential to cause harm or embarrassment is not appropriate. For example, the Zimbardo prison experiment and Milgram shock experiments crossed the line before they even started.

And, we’ve come to agreements on the types of research that are ethical and appropriate. Research that has no potential for harm because the researcher does not intervene, the research takes place in a public place, and the people would expect others to observe them is acceptable. Though the debate is still taking place, social media research falls nicely into this acceptable range. 1) The internet is public and 2) people understand that the internet is public. The only decision for researchers is whether they wish to embrace the participant observation mode (gain permission to talk to each person) or the observation only mode (no contact at all).

Read some of the ethical guidelines of this Panel on Research Ethics and then see where your opinions about observational research fall. We’d love to debate the issues with you!

The Fantasy of Representative Samples

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

Photo credit: chaka from morguefile.com

Come clean now. Did you ever really think there was such a thing as representative samples in market research?

Door to door surveys: Not everyone has a home. Not everyone answers the door. Not everyone agrees to complete the surveys.

Mall Intercepts: Not everyone goes to the mall. Not everyone passes by the interviewer. Not everyone agrees to complete the survey.

Online Surveys: Not everyone is online. Not everyone joins survey panels. Not everyone completes the surveys.

Social Media Research: Not everyone is online. Not everyone is on Facebook/Twitter/YouTube. Not everyone contributes content.

People are just as a stubborn as mules!

Let’s visit the concept of probability sampling. This theory was created by mathematical geniuses like Pascal, Gauss, Fisher, and Pearson who used statistics to better understand things like games of chance (coin tosses)  and genetics (molecules, cells). Let’s think now – when was the last time a penny, a skin cell, or a molecule of carbon dioxide ever had a choice about whether to participate in research?

Because human beings have free will, unlike coins and cells, they can choose whether to participate in research. Hence, the requirement for equal and independent opportunities to participate in research actually means equal and independent opportunities to be selected for and complete the research. This, market researchers never have.

But this does not mean all is lost. What this proves is that researchers are pretty incredible people. Even though we know our samples can never be representative and can never meet statistical requirements for probability sampling, we have learned through decades of careful study how to create knowledge out of noise. We know how to work around the rules and around the limitations to generate information. We know how to apply error rates, confidence intervals, and gut-instincts to end up with valid and reliable results.

Do we need the representative samples that random probability sampling provides? It sure would be nice,  but it’s not the entire equation.
.
.
Related links
Social media monitoring vs social media research: Can you see the difference?
How important is sampling? Well, how important is gay marriage?
Tracking the Mood of Americans: Use Twitter if you want to prove they’re happy

I’d Like an Order of Research Please

Sunday, September 19th, 2010

Appearing on MRA website: Thoughts and Opinions of the MR Industry
September 15, 2010
By Annie Pettit, Ph.D.

.
Having been recommended to try this restaurant several times, you step up to the counter, money in hand, and smile at the bright-eyed sales clerk. Are you ready to order, she inquires? You nod your head and instead of ordering a bacon cheeseburger hold the onions and sweet potato fries, and instead of ordering combo #2, you announce…. “I’d like an order of food please.”

In just the last year, a new tool crash landed in the market research toolbox, a tool which, for some reason, has caused people to step up to the market research order counter and announce “I’d like an order of research please.”

Curious? Read the rest here!

Market Research Debate: Annie Pettit and Ben Smithee Square Off

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

Join the GMOC blog as Annie and Ben debate best practices for incorporating social media with your market research and explore the ultimate question: “Should we engage people online for research?” Click on the image for further details. Anyone hedging their bets on a winner? (We are!)

NewMR Virtual Festival 2010

Friday, September 10th, 2010

If you’ve been following Ray Poynter’s LinkedIn discussion, you’ve seen all the positive feedback he received in response to wondering aloud about a virtual market research conference. And all of those positive comments turned into a brand new conference!

Have you ever been disappointed that your conference budget only permitted 6 conferences per year even though there are 20?
Have you ever had needed to attend two different conferences in two parts of the country during the same week?
What crazy world do you live in?

Well, this is the conference for you! Listen in, present your research, mingle with other professionals without ever changing out of your pajamas and into your business suit! Com’on over and join us at a brand new virtual conference!

Conversition Represents SMR Practitioners on CASRO Social Media Research Task Force

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

CASRO today announced the formation of a social media research task force to address the many ethical and methodological issues developing in the wake of social media research’s emergence. Conversition Strategies is pleased to to represent the voice of SMR practitioners on this task force with participation by Annie Pettit (@LoveStats on Twitter).

Current  members of the task force include:
Jeff Resnick, Global Managing Director, Opinion Research Corporation, Chair of Committee
Duane Berlin, Lev & Berlin, P.C. and CASRO General Counsel
Jeffrey Henning, founder and VP of Strategy at Vovici Corporation
Susan McDonald, CEO of National Analysts Worldwide and 2011 CASRO Board Chair
Annie Pettit, Chief Research Officer of Conversition Strategies
Peter Milla, Technology Consultant for CASRO

CASRO welcomes contributions from all industry representatives. A “Town Hall Meeting” will be held on Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at CASRO’s 35^th Annual Conference in North San Diego. Comments may be sent to smr@casro.org. Other venues for discussion will be announced.

Announcement in Daily Research News
Announcement in Research Live

CASRO Forms Social Media Research Task Force

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

As posted on the Market Research Bulletin. View full article here.

Excerpt follows:

“More and more companies are seeking to extract sentiment and market the data culled from social networks and other Internet posts, and with these activities come numerous issues regarding privacy, disclosure, and the proper handling of data,” noted Jeff Resnick, Global Managing Director at Opinion Research Corporation and chair of the CASRO Social Media Research Task Force.

In addition to Resnick, the task force includes at present: Duane Berlin, Lev & Berlin, P.C. and CASRO General Counsel, Jeffrey Henning, Founder and Vice President of Strategy at Vovici Corporation,  Susan McDonald, CEO of National Analysts Worldwide and 2011 CASRO Board Chair, Annie Pettit, Chief Research Officer at Conversition and Peter Milla, Technology Consultant for CASRO. The group has outlined the scope of its work and has begun formalizing plans to solicit feedback from the industry.”