Choosing a website host is an important decision. You want a host that is affordable. However, you also want a website host that offers the features and functions you need. Here’s a quick checklist to make sure you’re finding the right provider.
Is their control panel user friendly? Many hosts offer free demonstrations or tours. Take advantage of these to make sure it’s a control panel that makes sense and is easy to use.
Building your own site or looking for a website builder too? Some website hosts offer site building tools. These can be wonderfully useful if you’re not interested in getting into the technological side of building a website. However, if you are building your own website using any number of software programs or languages, make sure the host has FTP transfer. This is the system you’ll use to upload your web pages to your host’s server.
Can you upload your files easily? Some website hosts are only compatible with certain file types. Make sure your website builder of choice works with your host before you pay for their services.
Are they big enough for your needs? Look for data space, bandwidth and file size limitations. You don’t need to go crazy however a host does need to accommodate your current needs and give you some room to grow.
Server reliablity. Occasional downtime is expdected however it should be rare and you should be forewarned when the servers are going to be down. Ideally, your host’s server should be up and running 99% of the time.
Security. If you’re doing business online then security is a must. Even if you’re not doing business online, you’ll want to do everything you can to protect your website from hackers. A secure host is essential.
Features and functions. What do you need your website to have? Do you need a shopping cart, email or autoresponders? Do you need to be able to sell advertising? Do you want analytic and reporting functions to track traffic and website visitor behavior? Make sure your website host has all the features and functions you need before you sign up and transfer your domain.
User reviews. This is the last thing to look at once you’ve narrowed down yoru choices and before you compare price. Make sure the company has a solid reputation in the industry. There are a lot of resellers out there, you also want to make sure you’re dealing with an acutal hosting company and not a reseller – you’ll get a better price and better customer support.
Finally, it’s time to compare price. If a website host meets all of the above criteria and fits your budget, you’ve found a good company. There are many wonderful website hosts out there. Spend a bit of time researching based on your needs and you can’t go wrong.
Related Links: The Money making of a Niche ::Free Data Entry Work
Friday, January 31, 2014
Friday, January 17, 2014
Tips for running online research discussions.
Online space increasingly permeates our day-to-day lives and we find ourselves communicating more through social networks, it is interesting to consider how the internet is affecting the way we perceive ourselves.
Offline, we are defined by our physicality, restricted by our bodies and our behaviours. The online space allows us to break free from these restrictions. If you are reading this it is likely you have an online presence of some sort. This could be a profile on a social network like Facebook or Twitter, an account on a forum or message-board, or a presence on Ebay or a dating website. It is also likely that, in one way or another, the way you present yourself on these sites differs in some way from the way you would present yourself in real life.
Our online lives allow us greater freedom – to be creative, to meet new people, but also to be antisocial, antagonistic and dishonest, often without consequence in the real world. Online research discussions are as susceptible to this as any other online platform. However, the suspension of social hierarchies affords us more confidence to be outspoken and to voice our opinions, which can be of major benefit to a research discussion.
Here at OnePoll we do most of our qualitative research online and are excited about the direction this approach is taking. When conducting research of this nature, it is important to make sure that the data collected is accurate and honest.
What follows are some basic principles to apply that will make sure your online environment is comfortable and will ensure good quality responses.
=> Create a safe environment - Firstly it is important to cultivate an online environment that feels safe, where participants won’t feel personally judged on their responses. At the recruiting stage you should design an articulation test to judge the engagement level of the participant. The way they write and present themselves will be an indication of their character – whether they are friendly and laid back, colloquial, or serious and factual. A mixture of both of these kinds of people is ideal for a qualitative research project. What needs to be avoided is rudeness and anti-social behavior which could make the other participants feel uncomfortable.
=> Minimize member bias - This is another element to consider when screening your participants. Your project will be on a certain subject; while you want your participants to have some knowledge in the area you are studying so they can contribute effectively, you also need to try and ensure that the people you pick for your project are not strongly linked or involved in the area of study. For example, if you are researching attitudes towards a number of supermarket chains it is important to the validity of your results to make sure that there aren't any supermarket employees present in your research community, as they may well have a biased opinion for one supermarket or another.
=> Manage the community - We like to think of all our online research projects as communities. An online community is like a social network. Over time your participants will form bonds and become more involved, but this may take time. That is why it is important that the community is managed correctly to help stem the conversation and tease out interesting discussion routes to help bring the community together. The researcher(s) managing the conversation need to be proactive in the discussions, always driving forward and encouraging the participants to get involved.
=> Explore different points of view
Build a fuller picture of the subject by questioning your participants from several different angles. This will help you to flesh out the minutiae of their feelings for the subject. Where a single-point approach may allow your participants to talk around the truth of their feelings, questioning from several angles will allow you to triangulate their answers for an accurate representation.
=> Use one-on-one interviews
Though the majority of subjects will be a suitable fit for an asynchronous online discussion, other more sensitive or taboo subjects may be better suited to an interview format. Speaking only to a researcher, the participant should feel more secure. Away from the rest of the group they have less reason to be dishonest in their answers. The researcher needs to be friendly, understanding but also assertive; this combination will help to create a productive relationship in the interview between interviewer and interviewee.
Visit also:-http://imtiaztips.co.nf/
Offline, we are defined by our physicality, restricted by our bodies and our behaviours. The online space allows us to break free from these restrictions. If you are reading this it is likely you have an online presence of some sort. This could be a profile on a social network like Facebook or Twitter, an account on a forum or message-board, or a presence on Ebay or a dating website. It is also likely that, in one way or another, the way you present yourself on these sites differs in some way from the way you would present yourself in real life.
Our online lives allow us greater freedom – to be creative, to meet new people, but also to be antisocial, antagonistic and dishonest, often without consequence in the real world. Online research discussions are as susceptible to this as any other online platform. However, the suspension of social hierarchies affords us more confidence to be outspoken and to voice our opinions, which can be of major benefit to a research discussion.
Here at OnePoll we do most of our qualitative research online and are excited about the direction this approach is taking. When conducting research of this nature, it is important to make sure that the data collected is accurate and honest.
What follows are some basic principles to apply that will make sure your online environment is comfortable and will ensure good quality responses.
=> Create a safe environment - Firstly it is important to cultivate an online environment that feels safe, where participants won’t feel personally judged on their responses. At the recruiting stage you should design an articulation test to judge the engagement level of the participant. The way they write and present themselves will be an indication of their character – whether they are friendly and laid back, colloquial, or serious and factual. A mixture of both of these kinds of people is ideal for a qualitative research project. What needs to be avoided is rudeness and anti-social behavior which could make the other participants feel uncomfortable.
=> Minimize member bias - This is another element to consider when screening your participants. Your project will be on a certain subject; while you want your participants to have some knowledge in the area you are studying so they can contribute effectively, you also need to try and ensure that the people you pick for your project are not strongly linked or involved in the area of study. For example, if you are researching attitudes towards a number of supermarket chains it is important to the validity of your results to make sure that there aren't any supermarket employees present in your research community, as they may well have a biased opinion for one supermarket or another.
=> Manage the community - We like to think of all our online research projects as communities. An online community is like a social network. Over time your participants will form bonds and become more involved, but this may take time. That is why it is important that the community is managed correctly to help stem the conversation and tease out interesting discussion routes to help bring the community together. The researcher(s) managing the conversation need to be proactive in the discussions, always driving forward and encouraging the participants to get involved.
=> Explore different points of view
Build a fuller picture of the subject by questioning your participants from several different angles. This will help you to flesh out the minutiae of their feelings for the subject. Where a single-point approach may allow your participants to talk around the truth of their feelings, questioning from several angles will allow you to triangulate their answers for an accurate representation.
=> Use one-on-one interviews
Though the majority of subjects will be a suitable fit for an asynchronous online discussion, other more sensitive or taboo subjects may be better suited to an interview format. Speaking only to a researcher, the participant should feel more secure. Away from the rest of the group they have less reason to be dishonest in their answers. The researcher needs to be friendly, understanding but also assertive; this combination will help to create a productive relationship in the interview between interviewer and interviewee.
Visit also:-http://imtiaztips.co.nf/
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Focus Groups in the Digital Era
Focus groups, which are a form of qualitative research used for marketing purposes, first gained popularity in the 1950s and were a result of sociologist Robert Merton’s influence and the release of his book “The Interview” in 1956.
The very first focus group was assembled by the Office of Social Research and a group of sociologists including Robert Merton in an effort to study the average American’s reaction to the military’s propaganda films that were prevalent during that time. The sociologists found that they could prod people to reveal why a certain scene made them think or feel a certain way. This information was valuable to the government who was trying to promote World War II.
Consumer culture then picked up on the focus group and has since used qualitative research on virtually every innovation over the years. In fact, an estimated 70 percent of all consumer research dollars are spent conducting qualitative research and utilize some sort of focus group.
Why are focus groups crucial to marketing success?
The world of marketing relies heavily on information gleaned from focus groups. Focus groups are usually assembled in the early stages of a concept or product’s development. The information taken from these focus groups will help companies understand the direction they should take the product or concept. For example, they can learn valuable information regarding a product’s packaging, name or how the general public will react to the product itself.
Who makes up a focus group?
In most cases, a focus group contains anywhere from eight to 10 individuals. These people are selected by screenings that find individuals who have certain characteristics that relate to the topic of study. A moderator will oversee the group and encourage individuals to share their point of view. Researchers will notice trends and patterns in perceptions when the focus group process is repeated several times. These trends and patterns help companies understand the best way to sell their product or concept to the general public.
Other types of focus groups:
There are other types of focus groups that are sometimes implemented, and they are as follows:
Two-way focus groups: This type of focus group observes another focus group and then discusses the other group’s conclusion and interactions.
Dual moderator focus group: This type of focus group has two moderators. One is in charge of ensuring all topics are covered while the other keeps the session moving smoothly.
Dueling moderator focus group: This type of focus group features two moderators who deliberately take opposing viewpoints to prompt discussion.
Teleconference focus groups: This type of focus group implements the telephone network for discussion.
Online focus groups: This type of focus group is the newest and is quickly becoming a popular alternative to traditional focus groups in this digital era. It uses the internet to gather information and prompt discussion. Today, many of these are conducted as paid online surveys.
The history of focus groups is interesting, and its evolution over the years in many ways has mirrored the growth of society. The online and telephone focus groups are examples of this growth.
Related Links: The Money making of a Niche ::Free Data Entry Work
The very first focus group was assembled by the Office of Social Research and a group of sociologists including Robert Merton in an effort to study the average American’s reaction to the military’s propaganda films that were prevalent during that time. The sociologists found that they could prod people to reveal why a certain scene made them think or feel a certain way. This information was valuable to the government who was trying to promote World War II.
Consumer culture then picked up on the focus group and has since used qualitative research on virtually every innovation over the years. In fact, an estimated 70 percent of all consumer research dollars are spent conducting qualitative research and utilize some sort of focus group.
Why are focus groups crucial to marketing success?
The world of marketing relies heavily on information gleaned from focus groups. Focus groups are usually assembled in the early stages of a concept or product’s development. The information taken from these focus groups will help companies understand the direction they should take the product or concept. For example, they can learn valuable information regarding a product’s packaging, name or how the general public will react to the product itself.
Who makes up a focus group?
In most cases, a focus group contains anywhere from eight to 10 individuals. These people are selected by screenings that find individuals who have certain characteristics that relate to the topic of study. A moderator will oversee the group and encourage individuals to share their point of view. Researchers will notice trends and patterns in perceptions when the focus group process is repeated several times. These trends and patterns help companies understand the best way to sell their product or concept to the general public.
Other types of focus groups:
There are other types of focus groups that are sometimes implemented, and they are as follows:
Two-way focus groups: This type of focus group observes another focus group and then discusses the other group’s conclusion and interactions.
Dual moderator focus group: This type of focus group has two moderators. One is in charge of ensuring all topics are covered while the other keeps the session moving smoothly.
Dueling moderator focus group: This type of focus group features two moderators who deliberately take opposing viewpoints to prompt discussion.
Teleconference focus groups: This type of focus group implements the telephone network for discussion.
Online focus groups: This type of focus group is the newest and is quickly becoming a popular alternative to traditional focus groups in this digital era. It uses the internet to gather information and prompt discussion. Today, many of these are conducted as paid online surveys.
The history of focus groups is interesting, and its evolution over the years in many ways has mirrored the growth of society. The online and telephone focus groups are examples of this growth.
Related Links: The Money making of a Niche ::Free Data Entry Work
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