Maybe the illusion is that the front and back bars are actually the same height but we think the back one is taller.

There are so many invisible people. People who never answer surveys, who never type on social media, who never answer the phone, who never answer the door. People who don't speak up when asked, who are silent when we truly want their opinion. The market research world is built on the kindness of extraverts and those strong-minded enough to share their opinions. If only we could convince the quiet ones to speak up too.

I'll have to make one of my standard comments. People must remember that every research method has issues. We know nuances in design can produce different results. That's why we randomly order items in survey grids, and reverse key half of the items and make sure the questions are non-leading and the answers are all-inclusive. Oh wait, no, we hardly ever do that. Which means I'm back to my original statement that every research method has issues. As always, let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Let's be aware and work smart, no matter the method. And as with EVERY research method, let's be respectful of our research contributors who knowingly and unknowingly share their deepest darkest thoughts with us. Without them, we have nothing.

Sigh. It sounds like people are still focused on responders as the culprits as opposed to surveys as the culprits. Let's put the blame where it belongs, on the researchers!

ok, that had to come from someone who lives in Toronto. A past mayor actually made completely inappropriate comments along those lines. Sigh.

I'm a particularly frugal person and have never, probably will never, pay for a webinar. Webinars tend to be interesting, fun, and connect the industry as a team, but rarely do they offer unique, specific information that cannot be obtained elsewhere for free. So while I appreciate them, I appreciate freeloading more. :)

Market research is always in a state of flux as old methods whither and new methods grow. What never goes away is the knowledge we have created along the way. What we learned from paper surveys gets updated for online surveys. What we learned from online surveys gets updated for social media research. Oh, the times, they are a'changin'!