Hi Kelly, below is what i have found on that subject. it is from cyberdialogue homepage. hope it helps, pinar by Mary Beth Solomon As online services and the Internet enter the living rooms, bedrooms, and home offices of more and more people, as well as a vast number of corporate offices and small businesses, marketers are beginning to see new opportunities for quantitative and qualitative research techniques. Advertising can be tested online and Web sites can be evaluated with surveys and polls -- certainly, quantitative data can be collected and tabulated easily -- but how can online research measure consumer attitudes, perceptions, imagery, feelings... qualitative data? The online environment has become a particularly suitable environment in which to conduct qualitative research, and a growing number of research firms are doing so with quick, cost- effective results. Online vs. traditional qualitative research There are similarities between traditional and online qualitative research -- the methodology is similar, and the procedure for an online focus group follows the same format as a traditional group -- yet clear differences exist -- particularly in terms of the research environment and the type of respondent that can be reached. One of the primary differences between online and traditional qualitative research -- and one of the greatest benefits of online research -- is that cyberspace is populated by "trend leaders. " They are the early adopters -- those who often are the first to try out new ideas, products, services, and technologies before these innovations reach popularity in the mass market. Built-in accessibility to these trend leaders is one of the greatest advantages of conducting research online, since this group is commonly targeted by marketers, advertisers, and product manufacturers. And when it's qualitative data, there is the added value of being able to probe these consumers' minds for perceptions and insights. "Cybercitizens" tend to be more educated than the average population (57% are educated beyond high school) and higher earners (49% earn more than $50,000 a year). As the online population increases, however, the demographic statistics broaden. Thus, while 71% of Cybercitizens are Caucasian (compared to 77% of U.S. adults) and 57% are male (compared to 48% in the U.S. population), the gaps are closing between the numbers of other ethnic groups going online versus the national population. For instance, as of August 1995, online penetration for African Americans in the U.S. adult population is 9%, versus 11% for the general population of U.S. adults. Those of Spanish/Hispanic origin make up 12% of cybercitizens (compared to 8% in the U.S. adult population), and Asian-Americans comprise 4% of those online (compared to 2% of Asian-Americans in the U.S. adult population). Since 1994, higher rates of women, consumers under age 30, and less educated consumers are going online.* This broadening of demographics offers online researchers the ability to reach target segments more effectively. *All statistics from Yankelovich Partners' "Cybercitizen" study, August 1995. Differences By definition, an online focus group is conducted entirely online- everything from recruitment and screening (which the recruiter does via e-mail) to the moderation of the discussion itself. Since an online focus group lacks the in-person quality of the traditional focus group and, thus, also lacks the benefit of being able to see the respondents, the use of a qualitative method is an appropriate way to add dimension to respondents who are, otherwise, merely individuals typing words into a computer screen. Another main difference is that online focus groups allow respondents to participate from their own homes -- a unique arrangement that provides a broad geographical reach. Not only is it possible to have respondents from all over the country in one virtual "room," but international marketers can reach English-speaking respondents in foreign markets, particularly in Europe, where the use of online services is growing. Additionally, the fact that respondents can participate from the privacy and comfort of their own homes makes the online environment all the more conducive to eliciting honest, spontaneous answers -- a particularly valuable factor for a research method that relies on these attributes in its respondents. Inevitably, in the traditional focus group, one or two enthusiastic individuals will dominate the discussion. The tendency for this type of group dynamic to occur in an online focus group, however, is lessened by the fact that each respondent answers the moderator's question simultaneously, behind the "safety" of a screen name. The anonymity allows individuals to feel more at ease expressing their opinions, also making it easier to probe for insights and explanations from each respondent. Additionally, some online environments offer the ability for "instant messaging" -- private conversations between the moderator and participants and observers -- to ask respondents to "speak up," for instance, or to allow clients to advise the moderator. Online focus groups are typically shorter than traditional ones, lasting up to an hour. And since the focus group itself is much like an online "chat room," participants interact with each other and with the moderator by typing responses to questions about various topics. The discussion is often friendly and informal, not unlike a traditional focus group, but without the group dynamics that occur in face-to-face interaction. The online group, however, remains a dynamic process, in that, though respondents do not hear each others' answers, they can see them. As a result, respondent awareness is raised through visible attention to their co-respondents' answers, and they can interact with each other more easily, allows several conversations to proceed simultaneously, without disrupting the flow of the focus group process. While respondents' facial expressions and vocal inflections are not evident in an online focus group, cyberspace has a vocabulary all its own. For example, "emoticons" (the use of certain keys, which, typed in combination, look like facial expressions) exhibit emotion, and typing in all capital letters is "heard" as yelling. And while the videotape or audiotape is the favored method of recording the traditional focus group, online groups are logged, complete with "emoticons." Pitfalls How do you know people are really who they say they are? One of the most common questions about online research is about respondent honesty. Amidst the stories of individuals going online masquerading as someone else, cyberspace appears to be a dark hallway filled with fugitive egos seeking to entrap the vulnerable neophyte. But respondent anonymity can serve as a benefit to marketers conducting qualitative market research: From behind their screen identities, respondents are more apt to talk freely about issues that could create inhibitions in a traditional face-to-face group, particularly when discussing sensitive topics. Further, experience has shown that, since participants volunteer to participate in the research, as opposed to being solicited, they are more willing and apt to express themselves freely and honestly. Is it a representative sample? Until every American home is equipped with a computer, a modem, and an online service subscriber, results cannot be projected to the general population. Online qualitative research is representative of the online population only, and thus has limited projectability. And although the online population evolves daily, it doesn't reflect the population at large yet. Answering today's qualitative questions As greater numbers access the Internet and online services, new research issues arise: Who is the online user demographically and psychographically? What are the opportunities for my product or service? But the issues are not limited to the realm of cyberspace; the possibilities for exploring nearly any research question are endless. The ability to "upload" a document or graphic image to an another online user enables the marketer to test concepts and designs. For more tangible items (e.g., a food flavor or product packaging), a product can be mailed to the respondent, to be discussed online after the consumer has tested the product. Given the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of online research and the growing numbers of people online, it is anticipated by marketers and researchers alike that, as we near the next millennium, there is no visible plateau to the increasing trend toward online research. An online poll conducted in January of 1996 among 151 America Online users indicates that 50% of the respondents have made an online purchase within the past 12 months, and 71% of respondents agree that they plan to use the Internet more often as a way of shopping for products and services in the future.** Clearly, America's trend leaders have pioneered this freshly- chartered territory, but mass- market consumers are stretching the horizon. **Cyber Dialogue online poll, January 1996 ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- IMAFDI-E: Internet Marketing infos for students subscribe IMAFDI-E: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] TEXT: subscribe imafdi-e unsubscribe IMAFDI-E: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] TEXT: unsubscribe imafdi-e FAQ: http://www.imafdi.de/imafdi_thanks.htm ---------------------------------------------------------
