Conducting Research on the Internet:: Online Survey Design, Development and Implementation Guidelines

Using the Internet to conduct quantitative research presents challenges not found in conventional research. Some of our knowledge concerning the effective design and use of paper-based surveys does translate into electronic formats. However, electronic surveys have distinctive technological, demographic and response characteristics that affect how they should be designed, when they can be used and how they can be implemented. Survey design, subject privacy and confidentiality, sampling and subject solicitation, distribution methods and response rates and survey piloting are critical methodological components that must be addressed in order to conduct sound online research. This paper focuses on those distinctive characteristics. It reviews the current literature on the subject of electronic surveys and presents guidelines for designing, developing and implementing them, particularly web-based surveys. This paper argues that Web-based surveys are superior to email surveys in many aspects, but that email combined, perhaps with offline media, is an excellent vehicle for inviting individuals to participate in Web-based surveys. The application of these guidelines are demonstrated through the authors’ current research involving defining the nature of “non-public participation” (commonly referred to as lurking) in online discussion groups. Guidelines do not eliminate the many “trade-off” decisions required in the use of online surveys

Evaluating First-time and Infrequent Use of In-Car Navigation Devices

Learnability and memorability, important components of usability, are frequently overlooked by existing research with respect to in-car navigation devices. To remedy this, a protocol for evaluating the learnability and memorability of an in-car navigation device is presented. Representative tasks are identified and then used in conjunction with paired-user methods. The protocol is applied effectively to a device and problems are identified

Lurker demographics: counting the silent

As online groups grow in number and type, understanding lurking is becoming increasingly important. Recent reports indicate that lurkers make up over 90 % of online groups, yet little is known about them. This paper presents a demographic study of lurking in email-based discussion lists (DLs) with an emphasis on health and software-support DLs. Four primary questions are examined. One, how prevalent is lurking, and do health and software-support DLs differ? Two, how do lurking levels vary as the definition is broadened from zero posts in 12 weeks to 3 or fewer posts in 12 weeks? Three, is there a relationship between lurking and the size of the DL, and four, is there a relationship between lurking and traffic level? When lurking is defined as no posts, the mean lurking level for all DLs is lower than the reported 90%. Health-support DLs have on average significantly fewer lurkers (46%) than software-support DLs (82%). Lurking varies widely ranging from 0 to 99%. The relationships between lurking, group size and traffic are also examined

Lurking in email-based discussion lists

I would like to extend my gratitude to a number of people. Any project of this magnitude requires a wide range of talents. I am indebted to Thawatchai Piyawat and Dick Seabrook for their consummate programming skills, and to Jantawan Noiwan for her statistical advice. Drafts of this thesis were considerably improved through the thoughtful comments and editing of Heather McDonald and Carolyn Davidson. Additional thanks go to mentors Tom Carey and Dave Hendry. None of this would have been possible without the interviewees and the members of the discussion lists. I thank them for their time, insight and participation. The research was carried out at South Bank University and the University of Maryland Baltimore County. I am grateful to both universities for their support. Finally, special thanks to my committee, Fintan Culwin, Xristine Faulkner, and Jenny Preece. i The goal of this thesis is to increase our understanding of lurkers and lurking in online groups by addressing three primary questions: why do lurkers lurk, what do lurkers do, and how many lurkers are there? Lurkers reportedly make up the majority of members in online groups, yet little is known about them. Without insight into lurkers and lurking, our understanding of online groups is incomplete. Ignoring

in Real and Virtual Environments: Inhabited Information Spaces and Connected Communities. 24-26 January, Edinburgh. Ed. K. Buckner. 123-128. Shedding Light on Lurkers in Online Communities

Lurkers are reported to make up a sizable proportion of many online communities, yet little is known about their reasons for lurking, who they are, and how they lurk. In this study, interviews with online community members provided a formative understanding of these and other issues. We discovered that lurking is a systematic and idiosyncratic process, with well-developed rationales and strategies. All interviewees lurked, but not all the time, and several developed a sense of community through their lurking

Persistence and Lurkers in Discussion Lists: A Pilot Study

In email-based discussion lists (DLs), messages resident in archives, email clients and elsewhere are persistent. One way of examining persistent messages is through the eyes of lurkers. For participants in this study, persistent conversation is an inhibitor to participation, a mechanism for engendering participation, and something to be managed. Participants viewed persistent conversation, especially when it can be retrieved through search mechanisms at a later date, as a loss of security and privacy, and an impediment to public participation. Participants followed conversations to understand the practices and language of a DL. Strategies for reading and managing email were idiosyncratic and goal driven. Some participants were concerned about maintaining access to DL information for future use. Others, more concerned about being overloaded with too much email, focused on eliminating messages. Where possible, design implications are put forward

WHY LURKERS LURK Abstract

The goal of this paper is to address the question: ‘why do lurkers lurk? ’ Lurkers reportedly makeup the majority of members in online groups, yet little is known about them. Without insight into lurkers, our understanding of online groups is incomplete. Ignoring, dismissing, or misunderstanding lurking distorts knowledge of life online and may lead to inappropriate design of online environments. To investigate lurking, the authors carried out a study of lurking using in-depth, semi-structured interviews with ten members of online groups. 79 reasons for lurking and seven lurkers ’ needs are identified from the interview transcripts. The analysis reveals that lurking is a strategic activity involving more than just reading posts. Reasons for lurking are categorized and a gratification model is proposed to explain lurker behavior