Second Life Research Question

My name is Mark Combs and I’m a student at the University of California Irvine. I’m working on research project with a graduate student named Shalini Misra to understand the health and community impacts of different forms and patterns of Internet use. As a part of this research project, I really need the assistance of Second Life members. We have an online survey and we are giving away several iPod shuffles in a raffle for people that participate.

Where would be the best place to post the survey link and tell people about my research? I posted our survey link during the first phase of our study in another forum but I don’t think that was the best place for the survey link. Obviously I would like to have it be in a forum where I don’t violate any rules and where it would get the most visibility.

Thank you,
Mark Combs
Department of Planning, Policy, and Design
University of California, Irvine
[email]mcombs@uci.edu[/email]

Since there is no "Surveys and Research Pool Forum", I don't know where the best place is to post it on the official forums. Might as well post it here and see what happens.

Third-party forum folk didn't give you a warm welcome, eh? Maybe if you offered video ipods instead of ipod shuffles...

Hi Mark - welcome, and thanks for giving some basic details, which many students wanting to carry out research here do not do.

OK there is a bit of a problem with answering you. We in Second Life are a bit of a magnet to researchers, some genuine and some fishing, As a result, there is sometimes a little impatience, as you can understand. In general we are not here as a research experiment, but to enjoy ourselves.

The best advice is probably the same as one would give to any researcher wanting to carry out a study in a land and culture whose norms, habits, behaviour, inhabitants, and (in a sense) language he does not know. Live here for a while first. Immerse yourself. Get to know what goes on. You will find the right sort of communities for the specific research you want to carry out, and how best to do so.

Otherwise, you might find yourself disappointed with low response rates, and puzzled at the mixture of aggression, jokes, lies, genuine answers, and unasked for research supervision.

Anyway, good luck.

Dispite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage.....

Go Anteaters! It's incredible how UCI has grown in the past 20 years...

I'd just post the link here if I were you.

Hey, why not - you are looking for answers from residents, which is what a survey is anyway!

A cold survey will tell you hardly anything about Second Life. You need to join the world, explore, learn all the stuff and meet all the wierd and wonderful people here.

Maybe give yourself 2 or 3 accounts - one where you come in as your real self openly, another where you create a fantasy character and possibly a third that represents some sort of discriminated minority. Record all your experiences and feelings. Go and look at some of the corporate sites of real world businesses see how quiet they are! Spend an hour or two in a sandbox and witness the mischievious disruption of the many by the few.

A lot can be learned from people's profiles. They might not say much or be 100% truthful but you're likely to get as much truth in them as in a survey!

Well those were all good answers. I will post the survey link here:

https://webfiles.uci.edu/shalinim/www/index.htm

I have created an Avatar and I've been "in world" for a while now. I spent two months just cruising around and taking notes on the structure of Second Life which is very interesting as I'm interested in environmental psychology. I find it rich, fascinating, and ripe with endless possibility.

Mark Combs
University Of California Irvine
Department Of Planing, Policy, and Design
Email: [email]mcombs@uci.edu[/email]
Cell: 949-751-8446

and yes, a video iPod would have garnerd more attention....(LOL)

Mark

Normally, I hate the inexplicable negative response on these forums toward researchers.

But your survey has ads on it... Color me confused o_o

Just another quick note, we used a free tool that builds surveys (hey we are poor college students) but a downside is there is a bit of advertisting on the survey. Please ignore this - and sorry for any confusion it may create.

Thanks for your support!

Mark

Kudos on posting verifiable info and credentials... unlike every "researcher" I've seen here.

Plus we're giving away several iPod shuffles in a raffle. We gave a couple away during phase one of the study. We can't pay people to take the survey due to university restrictions (it might bias the study) but we were allowed to have the iPod raffle. (this is a review board request and quirky if you ask me).

Let me know if anyone participates and has problems. Or if anyone would like to meet in-world - I could use a guide.

Thank you,
Mark

As part of one Internet subculture or another, I've been seeing "help our research!" requests at least a few times a year since at least the mid-nineties. At first it was community members trying to do their thesis or doctorate on something they were genuinely passionate about while simultaneously trying to validate our (and their) existence to the mainstream. And at first I eagerly participated in every request I came across.

Somewhere along the way, though, those people were replaced with mainstreamers who'd become aware of these weird subcultures and wanted to poke us. And being regarded as an experimental rat gets real boring real quick. I no longer take part in any research attempts unless I know ahead of time that at least one member of the research team is an established member of the community and that the survey questions won't have an underlying bias that assumes the respondents are just pokable weirdos -- or that shows no understanding of the community at all and offers only mainstream-type response choices.

So please tell me...
How does your IRB feel about this research?

/me taps her foot

Well?

Since you are technically working with Human respondents, I believe that your university would want to adhere to their guidelines.

All human subjects research, and all other activities, which in part involve human subject research, regardless of sponsorship, must be reviewed and approved by the UCI IRB, or registered exempt by the Office of Research Administration prior to initiation. This includes all interventions and interactions with human subjects for research, including advertising, recruitment and/or screening of potential subjects. Additionally, use of state death data records must be reviewed and approved by the UCI IRB prior to initiation. Please review the information below to understand what activities meet the definition of human subjects research.
http://www.rgs.uci.edu/ora/rp/hrpp/definition.htm


I am a teacher of teachers, just reminding you to CYA COVER YOUR ASS.

Hi Jezabell,

Thank you for your interest in our research. We have full IRB approval to promote this study via the internet that is administered via our IRB approved survey.

Please feel free to contact UCI's Office of Research Administration if you need to verify this study. They can be reached at:

UCI Office Of Research Administration
University Tower
4199 Campus Drive, Suite 300
Irvine, CA 92697
949-824-6662
[email]irb@rgs.uci.edu[/email]

Best,
Mark Combs

Hey, at least you took your time to immerse yourself in SL before starting weird surveys where some questions just don't apply to SL-I've seen things....

And as a lecturer who obviously was a student herself once, I understand all about funding restrictions... ,)

Good deal, this shoud also be included in your introduction!

Muah,
Jez

But will you take my survey? (LOL)

Thank you!
Mark

Your survey website is having a problem.
I have tried entering my information at least 10 times and making sure it is all correct and after clicking next, a popup states, "Either you have left something out or done some thing wrong" I click OK and and then it restarts the form.
I am positive all the info was correct and I had checked 'agreed" on the page before the form.

I already did. Then I noticed I'd already done it the first time around...I hope that doesn't matter....

QoVL, you are not going to get a typical cross-section by mining for prospects here alone. I recommend you have ways inworld of finding survey takers as well. Perhaps contact one of the land barons still operating and see if they will put notecard givers/signs on their plots of land that are for sale. Also see if the owners of some of the popular destinations will do that for you.

Thanks Raymond,

I have started working inworld with a few large land owners and have some billboards up. I plan to expand that in the next few weeks as I'm trying to collect around 50 surveys.

Thank you!
Mark

There is many groups on sl that deep deep in these subjects. Do a search inworld and join some group you find alot of information inside.

Usagi

Hi Rebecca,

I just tried it and it worked fine for me. Have you tried clearing the cache on your browser? Also, are you referring to the initial page that collects name, and other demographic information?

Thanks,
Mark

I tried again today after clearing caches still not working---I get the same message. it is rejecting my info for some reason. I tried two possible zip codes for my city, and tried differnt formats for phone number or city and state. But no luck.

My first guess is there is some issue on the website regarding it's city state and zip code. My security on IE7 (with Vista) is default medium-high and I allow the home page login "possible unsecure items" pop up warning.

Yes---its the demographics page.