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New Ways of Research Using the “Social web” [email_address]

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Online Research today? Mostly about doing surveys! CC photo:Matthew Bowden

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Surveys are good because <ul><li>They’re tested and reliable </li></ul><ul><li>They’re comparable (to older studies) </li></ul><ul><li>We know how to do it </li></ul><ul><li>Recognizable by respondents </li></ul>Surveys are bad m'kay… <ul><li>Are they really tested? </li></ul><ul><li>They do not easily observe new innovations </li></ul><ul><li>Can be quite boring </li></ul><ul><li>Are not continuous, not even tracker studies </li></ul>

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Enter Social Media All the conversation you need is out there Photo: Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

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Research on the conversations People are on the internet, talking about you, me, shoes, television, cars and the internet itself. We don’t need a clipboard and ask, we can see their opinions. And instead of us taking notes, the traces are there all around you to observe. The conversations are there; hiding the opinions of people and new trends in business and politics.

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Research on the conversations Digital representation online makes this formerly qualitative way of information gathering into a quantitative way of doing research; directly analyzing the data you are presented with! A unique opportunity to add to and shift from survey design to more and truly use the power of the internet.

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I don’t want it I don’t know what it will bring me CC Photo: “hannibal2000”

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… and my clients won’t either They’re not asking for this CC Photo: “Juno”

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Research on the conversations Gives you rich, potentially continuous research data of more and more people. People who are already engaged, passionate, enthusiastic and won’t feel bothered. (If you do it right.)

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The Challenge Set up a research practice that can harness the power of using the online conversation. Deploy a study in the field and share it’s results. There is demand, but shift it’s focus! The demand is for knowledge, not for survey date. You are a researcher; you provide the knowledge; be it your intuition, works of scholars, survey data… or social media data.

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Ok, is anyone doing this yet? Can it really be done? CC Photo: Tom Stefanac

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Harris Interactive: Clarabridge text analysis software to analyze comments on Social Media sites. ( http://www.gyurka.nl/2009/12/research-on-social-media-is-anyone-doing-it-yet/ ) RTL: Social Media as a source for new X-Factor themes as well as aquiring new “bottom up” knowledge. ( http://www.research-live.com/news/social-media-research-blows-through-windy-city/ ) Categorizing and organizing people and their conversations, with tags, twitterlists, lists of twitterlists, facebook groups, fanpages … … Google !

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Gyurka Jansen Blogger: gyurka.nl deJaap.nl, bijgespijkerd.nl, goldmember.retecool.com, … Twitter: @the_ed Email: [email_address] Talks, writes and lectures about online sociology, -research, new media, online communities and online friendship … Participating and organizing offline meetings related to online communities for more than 10 years, from drinks at the local pub to lectures. Latest effort as part of deJaap: www.twittershizzle.nl (photo by Anne Helmond)