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Forget the Margin of Error Forget the Margin of Error Debate – What about focus Debate – What about focus

groups?groups?

Rick Hobbs, CMRPRick Hobbs, CMRPVice-PresidentVice-President

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Research on the Internet?

There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things; for the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order; this lukewarmness arising partly from the incredulity of mankind who does not truly believe in anything new until they actually have experience of it Machiavelli, Niccolo

Are you a tigger or an eeyore? Randy Paulsch

40% of Canadians will complete the Census Questionnaire On-line in 2011

What are Virtual Groups?

Many different definitions/names Vgroups Egroups Virtual focus groups On-line focus groups

Not just chat or bulletin board To be a virtual focus group requires both voice and

visual components and real time Can be very simple

Phone call and web conference pushing PPT Can be very complex

Itracks with skype and webcam Can do anything you can do in a physical group – but why

replicate the bias of physical world in virtual groups?

Why Virtual Focus Groups?

Faster Truly faster, especially with Web Recruit

Better respondents Inexpensive

Can be equally expensive but, No travel cost

More convenient for everyone Better Results – when it is appropriate

Is it All Milk and Honey?

No body language No eye contact No avoiding eye contact Periods of dead air seem longer Harder to control technology and moderate

Ideal Audiences

Gen / pop Not about technology Do suggest speaker phone and high speed but not needed

B2B Great with hard to reach professionals Keep in mind they should be used to computer work

i.e. construction professionals are rarely near their computer

Remember qualitative research is not about the technology

WARNING!

Do not attempt to moderate a virtual focus group if you are not a moderator!

How to Set-up?

Budget important – can be very inexpensive Recommend against low cost web conference software Web-ex and GoTo Meeting - good solid products

Remember you need a voice component and while any conference provider allows you to record, it makes your life easier to have it linked to the moderators guide

Third party tech support is helpful Many sophisticated products involving VoIP or web

cameras

Hints Moderating VGroups

Screener – need to screen level of comfort of respondent (D’uh)

Need a good invitation / need more hand holding for participants

Mod Guide Think about what exercises you want to run – do traditional

mod guide Always comes down to the objectives – not technology for

technology’s sake Mix chat and voice questions Need to repeat names more often – not so much to

get everyone to talk, but for the client Remember dead air may sound bad, but participants

don’t know any different

Things to Remember

Establish a personal connection with recruits and get them comfortable with the technology

Make sure recruiter and participants know what the process is - ie., test your browser, call in early, don’t sit

Give your self more time between sessions Limit permissions Use chat when you need a break to check something

(questions from the client) Use paypal or on-line payment for fast participant

payment Prepare for technology problems but don’t freak out

about them when they happen

The Future is the Internet

Synchronous and Asynchronous Bulletin Boards can have tremendous value if managed

properly Social Media On-line communities Recruiting Data mining