Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Qualitative Research Can Be Done Through Social Media!

Qualitative research offers answers that are based more on individual opinions and experiences, as oppose to in quantitative research which offers more concrete data. Qualitative research can range from observations to interviews to focus groups and more. Although you may think that qualitative research is research that requires a more one on one in-person situation with participants, this kind of research could be done using social networking as well.

On Facebook pages, for example, there is a section designated for "discussions." This is a great place to go if you want to find out peoples' opinions or stories relating to a specific topic. Glee is a television show that has gained a huge following over the past year, it also happens to be one of my favorite shows. One of the lead characters has had to take some steam from the media recently for apparently not having the friendliest personality. However, I wanted to know what her fans think of her, so when I looked up Glee on Facebook and found a page dedicated specifically to her character, I clicked the link, went to discussions, and there I saw an outpour of love for her. This is where her publicists could go to figure out what she is doing right that has kept her fans still standing by her side, and what she could be doing better. They could also gain more knowledge on who her fan base is and other details that would help in maintaining a positive image for the recent star. Not only are discussions a good form of qualitative research, but also reading wall posts and "likes," you can see common trends among people, relating to a certain topic.

Social media is also a great place to do some qualitative research because people often feel more free to be honest when it comes to "the world wide web." This is the same as unobtrusive research because you are able to study your participants without them knowing that you are doing so, and this allows them to make their normal everyday decisions without being influenced by a recognized observer.

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