The Handbook of Online and Social Media Research

Drawing together the new techniques available to the market researcher into a single reference, The Handbook of Online and Social Media Research explores how these innovations are being used by the leaders in the field. This groundbreaking reference examines why traditional research is broken, both in theory and practice, and includes chapters on online research communities, community panels, blog mining, social networks, mobile research, e-ethnography, predictive markets, and DIY research. "e;This handbook fills a significant learning gap for the market research profession and Ray Poynter has once again proven that he is a guiding light. The practical and pragmatic advice contained within these pages will be relevant to new students of research, young researchers and experienced researchers that want to understand the basics of online and social media research. Ray s views on 'how to be better with people' and how to maximise response rates are vital clues that are likely to shape the future of market and social research."e; Peter Harris, National President, Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS) "e;It's hard to imagine anyone better suited to covering the rapidly changing world of online research than Ray Poynter. In this book he shows us why. Whether you are new to online or a veteran interested in broadening your understanding of the full range of techniques quant and qual this book is for you."e; Reg Baker, President and Chief Operating Officer, Market Strategies International "e;Finally, a comprehensive handbook for practitioners, clients, suppliers and students that includes best practices, clear explanations, advice and cautionary warnings. This should be the research benchmark for online research for some time. Poynter proves he is the online market research guru."e; Cam Davis, Ph.D., former Dean and current instructor of the online market research course for the Canadian Marketing Research and Intelligence Association "e;Ray Poynter's comprehensive, authoritative, easy to read, and knowledgeable handbook has come to our rescue ... it is a must read for anyone who needs to engage with customers or stakeholders in a creative, immediate and flexible way that makes maximum use of all the exciting, new technology now open to us. Market researchers need to know this stuff now. I can guarantee that anyone who buys the book will find it a compelling read: they will be constantly turning to the next page in order to find yet another nugget of insight from Ray s tour de force."e; Dr David Smith, Director, DVL Smith Ltd; Professor, University of Hertfordshire, Business School

Drawing together the new techniques available to the market researcher into a single reference, The Handbook of Online and Social Media Research explores how these innovations are being used by the leaders in the field. This groundbreaking reference examines why traditional research is broken, both in theory and practice, and includes chapters on online research communities, community panels, blog mining, social networks, mobile research, e-ethnography, predictive markets, and DIY research."This handbook fills a significant learning gap for the market research profession and Ray Poynter has once again proven that he is a guiding light. The practical and pragmatic advice contained within these pages will be relevant to new students of research, young researchers and experienced researchers that want to understand the basics of online and social media research. Ray's views on 'how to be better with people' and 'how to maximise response rates' are vital clues that are likely to shape the future of market and social research."Peter Harris, National President, Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS)"It's hard to imagine anyone better suited to covering the rapidly changing world of online research than Ray Poynter. In this book he shows us why. Whether you are new to online or a veteran interested in broadening your understanding of the full range of techniques--quant and qual--this book is for you."Reg Baker, President and Chief Operating Officer, Market Strategies International"Finally, a comprehensive handbook for practitioners, clients, suppliers and students that includes best practices, clear explanations, advice and cautionary warnings. This should be the research benchmark for online research for some time. Poynter proves he is the online market research guru."Cam Davis, Ph.D., former Dean and current instructor of the online market research course for the Canadian Marketing Research and Intelligence Association"Ray Poynter's comprehensive, authoritative, easy to read, and knowledgeable handbook has come to our rescue ... it is a must read for anyone who needs to engage with customers or stakeholders in a creative, immediate and flexible way that makes maximum use of all the exciting, new technology now open to us. Market researchers need to know this stuff now. I can guarantee that anyone who buys the book will find it a compelling read: they will be constantly turning to the next page in order to find yet another nugget of insight from Ray's tour de force."Dr David Smith, Director, DVL Smith Ltd; Professor, University of Hertfordshire, Business School

Foreword ixBy Finn RabenIntroduction xiPART 1 Online Quantitative Survey Research1 Overview of Online Quantitative Research 32 Web Survey Systems 163 Designing Online Surveys 314 Working with Panels and Databases 665 Running an Online Survey and Summary 88PART II Qualitative Research6 Overview of Online Qualitative Research 1077 Online Focus Groups 1168 Bulletin Board Groups and Parallel IDIs 1329 Other Online Qualitative Methods and Summary of Online Qualitative Research 151PART III Social Media10 Participatory Blogs as Research Tools 16311 Online Research Communities/MROCs 17612 Blog and Buzz Mining 22113 Other Social Media Topics and Summary 243PART IV Research Topics14 Specialist Research Areas 26115 Website Research 28216 Research Techniques and Approaches 32217 The Business of Market Research 340PART V Breaking News!18 NewMR 36719 Trends and Innovations 37820 An Overview of Online and Social Media Research 391Glossary 403Further Information 417References 421Acknowledgements 427Index 431