Badges are becoming commonplace on social media platforms. To enhance levels of engagement, badges ‘gamify’ actions and reward users. This ‘gamification’ of experience in turn, motivates further action. But how are badges useful? Why do they work?

In an initial study, Antin & Churchill (2011) set out to answer these questions. I have briefly summarised their findings below.

Goal Setting
Challenges are an effective motivator and consuming goals is an end unto itself. Studies have shown the most effective goals are those just out of comfortable reach.

Instruction
Providing a framework for users, badges illustrate valued activities of the community.

Reputation
Badges contribute to the identity of users. They allow others to make ‘reputation assessments’ such as a particular member’s interests or expertise.

Status/Affirmation
Acting as status symbols, badges highlight achievement, acknowledging user accomplishments.

Group Identification
Shared experiences increase collaboration in online communities. Badges connect users to these shared actions, and provide ‘perceptions of similarity between an individual and the group’

In short, badges act as social agents in online communities, assisting users to navigate their virtual identity and relationships. Transferring these agents into research communities may help provide another layer of user engagement.

Copy of my presentation from Merlien conference in Berlin, MobileMR 2010: Market Research in the Mobile World

It’s almost been a year since I started working with insights communities and I have learnt that they are filled with constant surprises. If you had asked me last September, what I expected from a role of an insights community moderator, I would have summed up, “To facilitate focus groups…online”. So a year later, what do I have to add?

Today I would say that a community moderator is more than just a facilitator. We spend months with participants in a community – I’ve even had a member describe the community as his “second family”. This is not unexpected; given that everyday we are invited into the lives of members. We travel their paths through pregnancies, holidays, graduations, and even funerals. The role of moderator is stretched to confidante, advisor, watchdog, IT tech, storyteller, leader, pupil, events organiser, cheerleader, and friend.

So, walking the thin line between the professional and personal, how does this tie in with our research? How do we remain objective, whilst we are subjective to the trials and tribulations of our members? I believe we don’t. Through the lens of familiarity, we grasp a deeper understanding of where members are coming from. Communities provide an environment to harness relationships, and this is a unique opportunity for qualitative research.

In the last year I have learnt how to be a better moderator by getting to know members. I have learnt how to be a better researcher by analysing data within a broader context. I look forward to the next 365 days of communities, and welcome whatever twists and turns they may bring…

Part of what I love about working with the team at Latitude is the opportunity to laugh each and every day.

Throughout the week, our community moderators post blogs to their members to touch base, say hello, give them an update and (hopefully) make them smile.

With our unique approach to community engagement, moderators are encouraged to inject a healthy dose of their own personality into communications with their members, with often humorous results. Throwing in a few tidbits of novelty information, or a joke or two allows us all to reveal a little about what interests us, makes us tick, or cracks us up, which in turn encourages members to do the same.

Here’s a couple of snippets from some recent moderator blogs…

One moderator shares her weekend of indulgence with her community…

To celebrate International Talk Like A Pirate Day…

While this sort of dialogue may not be a source for powerful insights for our clients, what it does facilitate is a fun, friendly atmosphere in which our members can express themselves openly, engage with us as moderators and bond with each other as members.

Because after all, who doesn’t love to laugh every now and again!

Latitude Insight’s case study of iPhone users uncovered just what consumers find so fascinating about the iPhone, why they use that four-letter word – LOVE, and how brands can become part of this ‘affair’.

The study revealed that Smartphones change user’s lives. Initially thinking they are getting a new phone, with email and web capabilities, they find iPhone gives them so much more.

It helps them communicate. It makes them more connected because of its web capabilities. But going even further, the real benefits are about being more entertained, more efficient in what they do, having more freedom because they are not stuck to a computer, and having more ability do things away from home and work. It’s a whole new world where users can do things anywhere, anytime.

Smartphone users also admit to relying less on their computer now they have a mobile device. With predictions that by 2011, 85% of handsets will have some sort of browser, it’s important brands recognise the opportunity mobile devices gives them in terms of another distribution channel to engage with their customers.

Furthermore, with over 100,000 apps available, many free, it’s important apps have lasting traction. They need to ‘do’ something and have a tangible impact on time or convenience to be worthwhile and valued by users.

One of the unique things about online communities is the nature of the relationship between the moderator/researcher and the participant. We talk to our members daily, get to know them personally over time and form close bonds which means that they become confident, open, willing and able to think more freely.

Because they have time to think about the issues we are discussing and can comment as they live within their real context, they raise issues that are important TO THEM rather than being constrained by the framework in which we have presented an idea. In this way we are given invaluable access into their actual behaviour, motivations, needs and attitudes, by allowing the consumer to set the agenda, rather than starting from a base of what we think consumers are interested in.

The long-term nature of communities also has other advantages. We can turn to the consumer at every step of the process from idea initiation and screening, concept development and refinement through continuous evaluation of revisions to comply with internal capabilities that occur as a result of feedback to ensure the product stays on target with consumer needs.

Instead of a quick 5-minute assessment, members have time to digest and reflect on the ideas within their usual thinking time and space, which may be over breakfast, in the shower, on the way to work or waiting in the car to pick up the kids as they scoff their ritual bar of chocolate. What this ensures is a much better quality evaluation and deeper insights.

There is also plenty of scope to take an ethnographic approach, tasking community members to complete online diaries, take photos or video footage and write bogs. One of the special things about our communities is that we know each member so well that we are able to virtually hand pick them to meet specific criteria for a longer term or targeted task.

An impressive array of new ideas is emerging from online research communities giving clients the potent competitive edge that they are been seeking. For more information on how and what we do click here.

While recently attending the AMSRS Summer School there was much discussion about what needs to change and where the industry was headed in the future.  Ray Poynter’s blog post has a great summary of outtakes from Summer School, but there was one point that was made that I believe is fundamental to the future of our industry that needs to constantly be addressed – engagement of participants.

As an industry we seem to forget that it is part of our job to ensure we engage those we ask to participate in our research.  For the most part, people are not obliged to participate in research, they voluteer to do so.  While I agree that most people genuinely want to offer their opinions and be heard, it is the way in which we make them do this that can be the problem.  Answering a 30 minute online survey, full of grid questions is by no means engaging. And without any feedback mechanisms, too often people feel their views are not heard.

While as an industry we have moved on from the use of the term ‘respondents’ to ‘participants’, I am not sure we have fully embraced the idea that we have to work harder to engage participants in what we do.  At Summer School when I broached this subject, I was met with the response – ‘we are not in the entertainment industry!’   No we are not, but we are in an industry that relies on engagement!  And for most part we have taken the easy way out, procuring engagement via monetary incentives.   But now even that is getting harder.

So what does that mean for researchers?

- It means we need to change the way we do things.
- We should be looking for new and engaging ways to collect information.
- We should be experimenting with things that we may not be comfortable with.
- We should be looking for more natural (and I would argue more authentic) ways to engage the public in what we do.

In my experience, participant engagement is possible and rewarding.  In fact, it can even be fun (dare it say it!).  And making participation enjoyable doesn’t undermine the legitimacy of it.

Feedback from participants involvement in Latitude’s online research communities shows just how much engagement is indeed possible:

“I had no idea how much fun this could be and have given facebook the flick this week as I just don’t have time for it right now! It is great to come back and see what people have added to your discussions and see what new ones have begun.”

“This has been a fantastic experience. It is so nice to know that what we are saying seems to count and that the right people are taking notice to make (client) better than it already is. I’ve had heaps of fun and would love to participate in the future .”

“I’ve never experienced anything like it personally. The only thing I can compare it to is surveys that I regularly do but they rarely give you an option for free speech like this forum has. It was far more interactive and you could easily clarify our thoughts and suggestions by just asking. A survey couldn’t do this.  It was fun, informative and made me feel like a valued customer.”

I say it’s time the industry realised the bar has been raised and we need to aim higher.
What do you think?

Matt and Ben at PluggedIn have made a few predications about the year ahead, many of which I agree with.  For us at Latitude it’s been a big year and it’s always good to take time to reflect on what has happened when looking to the future.

It was only a couple of weeks ago I was reminded of an article I wrote early last year in Research News about online qual and looking back on it highlights how much things have changed in the last 18 months.  At that time, it seemed I was the only one in Australia talking about online communities.  Fast forward 18 months and the buzz words at this year’s AMSRS conference was online communities.  So if you didn’t know what they were, you do now and if you weren’t thinking about them, you have started to.  The latest prediction is no surprise to us –  MROCs will be big news next year.

Today it seems everyone has a different definition for what these are but over the next year I’m sure clearer definitions will emerge and we will stop comparing apples and oranges.  We’ve seen some people talk about MROC’s, others use the term online research communities and then there are those who talk about online community panels but as time and experience emerge it will become clearer what the differences are.

We’ve seen a couple of big players enter the Australian market and the global players scrambling to get on board, but over the year we at Latitude have been working with a fantastic set of clients who are ahead of the curve.  From FMCG icon brands to banks, well know Australian drama series, luxury cars and retailers we’ve covered the spectrum of diverse conversations with equally diverse audiences.

The beauty of our real time 24/7 connection to consumer conversations emerges as brands goes through a product recalls, competitors experience PR nightmares, social media trials go haywire and through it all we are getting immediate responses from consumers as they see it.  The timeliness of the feedback procees is one of the biggest benefits for our clients.  So there is no doubt in my mind that more clients (big and small) will see the benefits of online research communities and it will fundamentally change how research is integrated into their business .

And I take this opportunity to thank the fanatastic team of researchers, clients and community members I get to work with everyday.  Without you, this would be no fun!  And here’s to continuing the ride in the year ahead.