The document summarizes the findings of a qualitative research study that used a Facebook focus group to understand how undergraduate students get their news. The study found that students get news from a variety of sources and devices, preferring push notifications from social media and emails over searching directly. They value easily navigable sites with clear layouts, sharing features, and minimal ads. The document provides recommendations for The Huffington Post based on these findings, such as personalizing alerts and feeds, increasing social interactions, and focusing on the college demographic.

1. Group 1 – Summary of Qualitative ResearchApril 5, 2010Delia Chavarria, Susan Houlihan, Mark Kunkel, Sarah Milstein, Mark Yeh

2. Objectives & MethodologyObjective:

3. Obtain information about the trends and preferences in how undergraduate students get their news.

4. Methodology:

5. Facebook focus group

6. Recruited students using help from contacts in our personal networks, targeting undergraduates ages 17-24.

7. Offered $10 Amazon gift certificate for participation.

8. Enrolled 5 participants (from CSU Fresno (2), Drury College, University of Colombia, and Oberlin College)

9. Provided instructions via Facebook, and posted 10 questions over 4 days

10. Participants responded to questions posted by moderator and to responses from other participantsPossible Biases: Small sample size lacking diversity (4 of 5 respondents were females)