Grand Finale

Wow, I can’t believe that I am sitting here writing my final blog post. I feel like I could snap my fingers   and it was the first post. I remember thinking I thought that this was going to be a difficult task to keep up, but in reality I think keeping a blog throughout the semester has really help me keep track of all the methods we have used, and relate them to different issues. Although this is how I feel, this week for the grand finale I will once again be looking into some of my peers blogs, and how they feel.

The first person’s blog I am going to discuss is  Laura's. Her blog is one that I have  frequently followed this semester, because I like her writing style, and the way she relates a lot of the issues to the entertainment industry, because that is what I am most interested in. In this particular blog, I like how she makes the reference to celebrities, and their use of twitter. She relates the act of re tweeting to the survery research method. I personally have the twitter application on my blackberry, so I am constantly tweeting away, but never stopped to think that I was engaging myself in the survey method. So now when I am on twitter, Laura’s post comes to mind!

Another person’s blog I found interesting was Alexis's. This semester we spent an entire class period almost going over all the different methods in creating the best survey. What questions to ask, what words are appropriate, and other general rules. But one aspect that we learned was we are not supposed to use something like “ Do you love Quinnipiac sports?” Because the word love is a strong emotion word, and we are supposed to stay away from them because they can be bias words. That is a fact that is drilled into my brain. But I liked the point that Alexis raised in regards to comparing these words to the fashion industry. I feel like whenever I flip through a magazine or watch an episode of What not to Wear… all anyone is every saying is “Oh I LOVEEEE that shirt, it fits great” or “HATE the dress, it is doing nothing for you”. Those words are used in comments made, but also in surveys like Alexis pointed out.

I think all of my fellow classmates have done a wonderful job this semester in the various posts that were done. So I want to say good job to everyone… we made it through the semester of blogging!

Also want to say thanks to all the people who decided to read my blog! Hope you guys have enjoyed some of the things I have said.

Everyone have a great Thanksgiving =)!

Experiments....

So last week we talked about surveys… this week were going to discuss experiments. Both of these forms are  very prelivent methods in research, but what we have to ask ourselves is.. what on earth is the difference between these two methods?

Some people when they hear the word experiment they think of a lab.. with chemicals and rats running around something like Dexter’s Labratory… when it comes to public relations.. we do not do anything along those lines!

An experiment I found humorous obviously dealt with Lohan and her roller coaster of a life. This “experiment” talks about how in prison she has to try these new foods and is on the prison diet. Although this article struck me as humorous…this really would not be considered  an experiment because something that an experiment requires is a control  group and an experiment group.

The best way I understand the two groups is to use the example of the placebo effect.  A good way to relate this to students would be to test the study of adderall  if it really makes students focus. Group A would be the experimental group.. and they would receive the “placebo”. They would think that the pill is going to make them focus, when in reality it is just sugar. And group B would be the control group and given the same amount of work to complete without any help. We could test the results to see who completed their work more thoroughly. This is just a brief example to help define the two groups and why they are used in experiments.

If you were ever in an experiment… which group do you think you were in?

Do you have a question for me?

If you are curious about a certain subject, the best way to find out some answers is to ask questions! What is the best way to do so? I will tell you… create a survey. Survey Research is very popular in the professional world as well as the academic world.

Looking at the professional world, what is going on currently that has to do with surveys? Well, lets think… it is now November, so what does this month signify?  ELECTION TIME !. Even though I am not personally into politics that much, the above website breaks down what happened during Election Day in five simple categories. The actual act of voting consists of you doing a survey. It is much more formal then a simple questionnaire, but it still follows the most of the same guidelines and this survey can truly impact everyones life so it is important to fill it out!

So what makes up a good survey? It is important to make sure you give instructions that are clear. There are always going to be some people that are not the sharpest tool in the shed, and when it comes to either circling the answer or checking it… they want to be told exactly what to do. So to avoid any headaches.. make sure you are clear with the instructions you give to your participants. The main points to think about when creating a survey are to make sure the questions are kept neutral. When giving options as the answers, it is important to make sure there are enough options. Also just to keep things appropriate for target respondents.

For college students it is that dreaded time of the year where we have to start thinking ahead and registering for classes for next semester. What is something that can help us get through this tedious process? Surveys by our fellow students!  The Qu review is a website that Quinnipiac students can use to rate their professors. There are various sites that universities can use but I wanted to show this one, because I had this teacher and I thought the way that that the evaluation is displayed shows an accurate example of a survey. It gives the scale of numbers for each column to rank, and at the end gives room for general comments.

Something to think about is the effects that can come out of filling out a simple survey....

The next time you are emailed, called, or handed a survey…. Will you fill it out?!

Whats Happening?

Hello fellow readers and welcome back to my blog!

This week we are once again looking at our peers’ blogs, so what is cooking for this week, I will tell you…

As everyone knows, Halloween is right around the corner, so what does that mean? I means finding the perfect costume, and getting in shape!! Every girl has been trying to get her body in the perfect shape to fit that costume she desires.  Kevin's Blog caught my eye because it talks bout different weight loss supplements used in a qualitative research. Normally most guys use theses supplements, but I thought this post was eye opening in general to the target audience of weight loss and getting in shape.. especially since it is Halloween season!

Another blog that caught my eye was Alexis's  ,one o f the reasoning being was the fact that her main focus was towards fashion. I love the fashion industry, but I also understand how competitive it can be. There are certain stereotypes that are given to women in fashion, such as the fact that most models have to me a size zero to two in order to be successful. An aspect that I loved about this blog was how it addressed the various cultures and races in their statistics. This made it very interesting to follow, and expanded the target audience as a whole.

Qualitative Research

Want to know what the buzz is this week? I will tell you… Qualitative research.  

This has been a main topic we have been discussing in class for the past week. It is the type of research that deals with rougher, less refined results that need to be organized. Something that is essential to know about qualitative studies is that they do not provide specific answers to questions, but instead gain explanations and narrative stories.

So, if you are looking for specific and direct answers try again! For example,  to answer the question how many students take public relations research, you would use quantitative research by giving a survey to students. To find out how the students actually feel about the class it would make sense to use the ever popular qualitative method of conducting a focus group. Focus groups are the most common qualitative research method, but there are many others methods public relations researches use.

A method that I learned about while doing my presentation was ethnographic research. This was a form of qualitative research that I had never heard of before.. It consists of studying human behavior in its most natural context which involves observation of their behavior in a physical setting. This method really interests me because the person is fully committing themselves to this study. This  website explains how to go about this particular research method. It is a great source to learn how to document everything correctly and it is a useful guide in general when dealing with ethnographic research.

To me though..this is a textbook type reference which is good, but for a college student,  what  can they relate to?

MTV!

An example I used in my presentation was MTV’s new hit series World Of Jenks . I think this show is a phenomenal example because one.. its an MTV show so therefore almost all of college students if they haven’t seen it, have heard of it, so it is easy to relate school work to. He physically puts himself into different environments each week to try and observe and understand the culture. Jenks interacts with people that range from homeless, to star rappers.

The question that I would propose to you is… would you let Jenks spend a week with you conducting ethnographic research?

I Spy With My Little Eye..............

There are so many things that people can learn just by looking at each other.  Facebook is the prime example of this, because these days we can learn virtually anything about someone by their page. From  how they dress ,who they date,  and how much they drink… facebook tells it all. While we are sitting there creeping on people via facebook, this is a form of doing unobtrusive research. We are observing what other people are doing via internet, without them knowing we are doing so.

What do other people think about unobtrusive research? Lets take a look at some  class mates blogs…

Going along with the connection I just made about facebook Steph's Blog relates very well to what I was just referring to about facebook. I really like the connection that she made to celebrities, and the quote she took from Kim Kardashian coincides well with the point she was making.

 Another person’s blog that caught my eye was Roberta's Blog . Being a girl, naturally fashion is something that I am very interested in. I liked the point that she Roberta made about how people get paid in the fashion industry to simply observe what others are wearing. So this made me think.. I could be getting paid for waiting on the shuttle line at school, and making fashion comments on what not to wear to toads! This blog was catchy, and definitely appealed to me, and I think the target audience she was trying to reach.

All in all its interesting to see the different ideas that people come up with in regards to unobtrusive research.

Unobtrusive Research

Ever feel like someone is watching you? Most celebrities experience these types of feelings constantly due to the paparazzi. Take Lindsay Lohan for example, we are constantly getting updates  every time her bracelet zaps her letting us now when she is sweating and it there is alchold in it. These constant updates are from tabloids and paparazzi.

The question is, how is it that paparazzi and other reporters/ researchers are able to figure out such information, without the people realizing? I’ll tell you… it is called unobtrusive research.  This type of research involves observing a subject without them knowing. Truly trying to pick up on their posture, clothing, shoes, accessories, and hand gestures.

When conducting unobtrusive research, it may sometimes be tedious, and seem like you’re basically creeping on the person that you are trying to do research on. This is why a popular form of unobtrusive research is the candid camera.  A hidden camera allows for observation to be conducted of people, in their most natural setting. A camera allows for observation of a variety of people and their actions in premeditated social situations. This is why reality television is so popular. We can put a bunch of guidos in a house, add a lot of hair gel and alcohol, and BAM you have situation.

People right at home conducting unobtrusive research just by noticing how these characters react with each other. Sam and Ron are the couple of the epic Jersey Shore show.  Trying to keep up with their relationship is a challenge in itself. But by conducing unobtrusive researching we are observing the meaning behind each behavior. If they say one thing do they really mean it or is it just the enunciation of how their saying it.? All of these questions any many more can be answered my simply observing someone.

So  next time you are watching a reality show, or just simply walking around the mall, take at the people surrounding you, and see what you are able to determine. It can be something as simple as watching people walk through doors....