Web Bulletin Boards

Web Bulletin Boards Overview

The way that a web bulleting board discussion forum works is that a number of potential respondents are recruited based on their position in a company or certain responsibilities or activities that they do. The qualifying respondents are then given a private sign-in code and a web address that is common to all of the respondents. Respondents are typically asked to log in a certain number of times and respond to comments (both from the moderator and from other respondents - just as though their comments were written on an electronic bulletin board on the internet - hence the name) over a period of several days. Web Bulletin Boards discussion forums are a unique type of research method because they allow the respondents time to think, to process, on the ideas or products that are being discussed, while most research calls for an immediate reaction to a concept.

We've probably all heard ideas that, at first blush, sounded very promising, only to have challenges or complexity issues occur to us - the Web Bulletin Board can bring those issues to light, because the discussion takes place over several days and allows respondents time to consider the idea.

Because this entire process takes place electronically there is a full copy of the discussion thread, and the timing and comments of each of the respondents, and this thread can be a great benefit to the group that sponsors the research. (If this is a hard thing to imagine, simply think of it as a large physical bulletin board on which a moderator prompts the groups with ideas or thoughts, and at any time, day or night, each respondent can walk up to the board and write down their responses, thoughts and ideas. And later another respondent comes along and can see everything that has been written and can respond in any way that they please to the moderator's comments or to the comments of other respondents.)

This type of research is quite similar to online surveys although the discussion is much more qualitative because respondents are asked to explain their thinking to ensure that everyone understand what they mean. Web Bulletin Boards discussion forums typically start with an e-mail from a market research firm to a number of potential respondents. The e-mail will typically explain to the respondents what the incentive is, and for research that requires this much of the respondent the incentive is often more substantial than it is for one single interaction.

The Web Bulletin Boards

The first few questions screeners will verify that the potential respondent is qualified to be included in the survey, then are typically a number of sensitizing questions to allow the respondents to feel comfortable with the topic to be discussed and to know something about the other respondents involved in the discussion, and for bulletin board discussion forums the process will be explained to ensure that everyone understands how it works.

Once everyone understands the process and the ground rules, the moderator will start the discussion with a couple of easy questions to allow the respondents to each have a chance to 'post' a message and to get to know one another. Eventually the moderator will steer the discussion towards the topic at hand, and will include a more challenging question or two - and at that point the respondents are free to comment immediately or to log off and come back to respond after some of the others have already posted their thoughts.

Construction of a Bulletin Board Discussion

Like most types of qualitative research there is a discussion guide that dictates the topics to be discussed. However the nature of a Web Bulletin Board Discussion requires more flexibility of the moderator as the respondents may jump ahead, or have a hard time understanding some concepts.