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Survey Tips
Surf For Samples
Designing your first survey can be pretty complicated. First, you need a topic. Then you need to create relevant questions. Write an introduction. And let's not forget analyzing the data. It's a lot of work, especially for someone new to all of this.
The best way to start a survey project like this is by using the Web. Surf for similar survey topics and get an idea of how your survey could be designed. Before you use any sample surveys as a guide, you should make sure they come from a reputable source.
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Survey Companies For Surveys
Today surveys are a hot research tool that can make or break new products before they even hit the shelves.
To get the most data for the dollar, companies will look to survey consumers online. If you are in this survey situation you have two options: set it up yourself or let the pros handle it.
The latter might be a better way to go. There are all kinds of market research companies that can do it all at a fraction of the cost of you doing it yourself.
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Trust, Before You Take
There is no shortage of web surveys. Before you use any of this survey data you should take a look at the source.
Are they reputable?
Are they a college?
A prominent news source?
The Internet gives anyone the right to say practically anything. This means that people can administer their own surveys, and sometimes fudge or create their own data to prove their points. This false data floats around the Web waiting for someone to pick it up -- do some research on the source before you use any survey research.
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Data, Don't Cost A Thing
If you are doing a paper on a topic with no clear-cut answer, survey data is invaluable. Presenting hard numbers can really add validity to the side you are trying to prove. You could get this data by creating your own survey. However, if you can't get a good amount of people to take your survey it will be a waste of time. The solution? Surf for the numbers.
On the Internet you will find a lot of free online survey information on a range of topics. One organization in particular is the GVU Graphics & Visualization & Usability Center at Georgia Tech University. Their department creates surveys that are comprised of a large number of people. As a special bonus they offer this data for free on their website www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys.
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Spam It's Not
In the 1990s, email was in its infant stages. If "you got mail," you probably would've opened it, no matter who it was from. Today, with all kinds of spam and viruses being dropped on our e-doorstep. we've become a bit more skeptical.
In fact, lots of times people won't even open an email if they are not absolutely certain who it's from. Keep this in mind if you're creating an online survey -- especially when you are sending out the invites.
If the link will be sent by the survey site itself you should make sure everyone knows it's coming. Send a personal email from yourself that announces the survey. This way they won't accidentally banish it to the e-trash.
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Saving Survey Time
What's the best way to distribute your survey? You could hand out surveys at the library or in a public center. Then of course you'd have to wait around for people to fill them out.
The other way is to set up an Internet survey by creating a website for people to log into to take the survey whenever they want. Since it is done online you can get and transfer data easily. Plus, to get people to sign up for the survey all you have to do is just send them the link.
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Behind The Times
Say you are doing a paper or project on TV usage and you are looking to find out how many people watch TV. Looking for online surveys is probably your best bet to quickly retrieve data. However, don't just take this data at face value. There could be factors that could make this survey totally useless.
Since techno-revolutions happen over night, data fields like dates and times might be obsolete, especially when it comes to technology like television set models, stereo equipment or cellphones.
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Internet Needs An Intro
One of the advantages of doing a survey in person is the "set-up" factor. Before you present the survey to people you can let them know all the essential details up front. If you are creating a Web survey, this pre-setup should come in the form of a written introduction. Some things you should include are:
The topic of the survey.
Survey instructions.
An approximation of the amount of time the web survey will take.
