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Asking Questions - The Definitive Guide To Questionnaire Design ...

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304 ASKING QUESTIONS<br />

long histories with a company or service. Problems of nonresponse<br />

can generally be expected, and this method may not be costeffective<br />

unless your survey population is relatively large.<br />

7. Prerecruited panels of Internet users. This type of survey uses<br />

a panel that is put together using probability sampling methods.<br />

Often, telephone interviews are used first to form lists of interested<br />

participants. <strong>The</strong>y are then invited to fill out the Web-based<br />

survey through an electronic invitation and specific access protocols.<br />

Coverage is usually not a concern, but nonresponse can be<br />

large.<br />

8. Probability samples of full population. This is the only method<br />

that has some chance of obtaining a sample that contains the full<br />

population, rather than those with Web access only. This approach<br />

employs a panel design that starts with a phone or mail survey, but<br />

then provides (if needed) the equipment for Web-based surveys in<br />

the future. Besides being expensive, probability sampling of full<br />

populations tends to elicit low initial response rates and nonresponse<br />

in general. However, this method can solve the coverage<br />

issue of the other methods; that is, it does not restrict the sample to<br />

those who already have Web access.<br />

Although many of these methods do not compare favorably<br />

with the validity of paper-based or computer-assisted surveys, their<br />

popularity and continuous improvement cannot be denied. Over<br />

time, they will continue to become more advanced and more<br />

widely accepted. With an increase in the sourcing software for<br />

computer-based surveys, it is now possible and relatively simple to<br />

outsource the design and production of a questionnaire designed<br />

for a computer or World Wide Web application. Many sources are<br />

available, including free services. <strong>The</strong>se include freepolls.com,<br />

GammaPoll (gammapoll.com/gp/en/index.cfm), mypoll.net, pollhost.<br />

com, pulsepoll.com, webpollcentral.com, and XML Polls. In addition,<br />

more companies can be found by accessing a search engine<br />

and using the search term Web surveys.

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