An Experimental Study of Internet Groups

[Anonymous]

I am a senior at Reed College conducting a study on the characteristics of Internet group members and how they interact in their group.  These questions have been of great interest to me since I joined Internet groups several years ago, and I now have the chance to systematically study them.  The administrator of your community has given permission for me to ask you to participate.  The study involves a series of brief questionnaires hosted at SurveyMonkey.com that will allow you to contribute your opinions to the academic community.

Participation in all parts of this study is voluntary. Participants will never be asked for their name and confidentiality of the questionnaires will be assured.  Participants who wish to be compensated for their time and participation may choose to enter a lottery to receive an amazon.com gift certificate and an option to be sent the results of the study will be provided.

If you are at least 18 years old, an American citizen, and wish to participate, please click on this link to the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=93197345541.  No one in this community will know whether or not you choose to participate.

Thank you for your time,

Alexandra Bond-Upson
Reed college student of Psychology
alexandra.bond-upson@reed.edu

[John]

Any Imms give this guy permission?  :roll: @ new bots

[Sanvean]

The survey was cleared with the mud account before posting. I think it might be interesting, and I've asked Ms. Bond-Upson to share the results. Since this mud has a strong community, it may be interesting. In any case, please don't treat her like the German phone-sexline poster.

[Angela Christine]

And the Canadian guys get screwed again.  I'm never going to win anything!


AC

[mansa]

You've won my affection and love, AC.
Let's get together in my igloo tomorrow.

[Angela Christine]

Sorry, I can't make it.  My dog sled is in the shop.

AC

[Akaramu]

I dont understand how you can study internet communities by locking everyone but Americans out. Internet is international, so are most of the groups. Europeans and Australians (and everyone else I forgot) Are valuable members of our group. And deeply involved in group interactions.

Sorry, I dont get it.

[John]

Wow. I thought it was a bot

Well I'd be happy to do the survey. But my being an Australian kinda puts a damper on it

[Callisto]

You've won my affection and love, AC.

Still feels like losing, doesn't it?

[EvilRoeSlade]

Wow, I'm right next door to Reed College.

[Cuusardo]

I took the survey.  Whatever.

[ShaLeah]

I took it too. Be aware that it's a personality test more than anything else.

[Sandstorm Phoenix]

What an odd survey.   I summed it up for you guys.  Here goes, quicker survey:




Nobody loves me:   Not at all     or    Quite a lot.

I wasted 5 minutes of my life:   Not at all       or          Quite a lot.

[Anarchy]

I dont understand how you can study internet communities by locking everyone but Americans out. Internet is international, so are most of the groups. Europeans and Australians (and everyone else I forgot) Are valuable members of our group. And deeply involved in group interactions.

Sorry, I dont get it.

Well, simple answer to that, the US has an "Us and Them" attatude, and we all know the USA is against the entire world right now. Mmm, you know, they remind me of elves!

[UnderSeven]

Well, simple answer to that, the US has an "Us and Them" attatude, and we all know the USA is against the entire world right now. Mmm, you know, they remind me of elves!

The difference between the US and elves is AT LEAST elves have a hive mentality.  Where as the US is a spiral of us and them.  IF you arn't in the US you are them.  IF you are IN the Us and not white you are them, if you are in the us and gay, you are them, if you are in the US and not in the top 1% of rich people you are them, if you are in the US, not one of bush's buddies you are Them.  

For a country that has such a anti other people policy, it doesn't stop at the boarders, ultimately it's that way all to the indivudal level.

[Anonymous]

I'm well aware that the US both sucks and blows and is completely responsible for all the ills of the world.

But drawing the conclusion that the supposed US isolationism is the reason why this researcher limited the scope of her questionairre to US folks only is asinine.  People from different cultures and societies have different views about themselves and their own world and their place in it.  Those answers would skew the results of what this person is looking for.

Is it a hate crime now only want to study and learn about your own country?

[Saikun]

While CRW may be right, there's probably an even more benign reason. Working in the Research Compliance office of a big university as I do, I'm familiar with the rules regarding surveys like this. There are a lot of very specific factors having to do with research on human subjects, which this survey is, although in a very minor form. It may be that the researcher's policies limit stuff like this to US citizens, for whatever legal reasons. The same reasons that the subjects have to be over 18. You can't do research on a human under 18 without parental consent, and a whole extra string of forms and whatnot.

On the other hand, I didn't get much out of the survey. I got the impression that the questions were a little biased. Especially the one that said "Are you unhappy being so withdrawn?". There was no "I'm not withdrawn!" answer. There seemed to be an implication that internet community members were unwashed introverts with bluish CRT tans, hidden away in their parents' basements. Which, granted, many of you are. But that isn't the point. I'm not sure what kind of useful data they expect to collect from this survey. But alas, those are the motions one has to go through when one is a grad student.

-S

[deviant storm]

That's the feeling I got too. I left the withdrawn question blank.

[X-D]

You Must Enable Cookies...

In order to take this survey, you must enable cookies on your browser

Not a chance cupcake, no survey for me.

Besides, it would take longer to enable them then it would to take the survey...if I was of a mind to enable them..HEH.