Experiment: A test to see if something is true. Experiments can be good to find a specific answer, however results can be inconclusive for example if not enough experiments are done to achieve a proper result.
Participant Observation: The researcher participates in the activity in order to better understand it. This can give the researcher a first hand view of what they're trying to find out. However it only gives results based on the researcher. If the target audience is not the researcher, the information obtained will not be very valuable.
Historical Research: Looking at the history and development of something, or studying old examples of something and comparing with contemporary examples. Information obtained via this method may not be valuable if circumstances have changed since. For example, information about technology 60 years ago wouldn't be relevent today because of how much it has changed since then.
Rhetorical Analysis: Analysis of the techniques used to persuade the audience (can tell us something about the audience and the purpose of the text). This analysis can give us information about the audience by analysing the way they are being targeted by the media. However, this only tells us what the media thinks about the audience, rather than finding out about the audience themselves.
Comparative Analysis: Research that compares/contrasts behaviours/media products. This research can be valuable to the researcher, if comparing their product to a more succesful product, and comparing what their product does better.
Competitor Analysis: Close analysis and ratings of a range of competitor's products. This research can be valuable if analysing a competitor's products that are better than your own. If you analyse a competitor's product who'se are worse, then you won't learn anything.
During our comparative analysis excersise, we learn't that it was subjective because in putting our own rating for each category from 1 to 5, we are putting our own opinions forward.
Processes of Dubstep Research:
1) Determine questions to gather information about the history of Dubstep.
2) Create a list of different aspects of the topic to research.
3) First understand the history of the topic to gather a good understanding.
4) Gather information about the stastics of web traffic websites particular to the topic get.
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Friday, 17 September 2010
Interviewing
Interviews can be good because they give qualitative data. This means it is more in depth than quantitative data such as results of questionnaires.
With interviews, a lot more information can be gained from the person because you can follow up questions with more questions based on what they say. You can't do this with a questionnaire.
A problem with interviews would be that you might get incorrect information based on the nature of a 1 to 1 interview as people may be reluctant to give out information if it's not going to be anonymous.
With interviews, a lot more information can be gained from the person because you can follow up questions with more questions based on what they say. You can't do this with a questionnaire.
A problem with interviews would be that you might get incorrect information based on the nature of a 1 to 1 interview as people may be reluctant to give out information if it's not going to be anonymous.
Audience Research Questionnaire.
1. Age: _____
2. Please circle gender:
Male Female
3. Please circle which media forms you would buy a hard copy of (eg CD, DVD):
Music Games Film
4. Please circle which media forms you download:
Music Games Film
5. Please circle which media forms you download without paying:
Music Games Film
6. How often do you download?______________________________________________________
7. Do you use music streaming sites such as Spotify or Sky Songs? Please state which sites you use.
________________________________________________________________________________
8. Do you use television on demand websites? If yes, please state which sites you use.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
9. Do you share downloads? ________________ If yes, please state who with:
a. My siblings
b. My family
c. My friends
There were problems with the original questionnaire such as pointless questions. The above questionnaire is the updated one.
Questionnaires are good for collecting lots of quantitative data but only if the questionnaire is well made, containing appropriate questions. However, to gather qualitative data, questionnaires are a bad idea because they do not go in to detail on the questions. To gather this type of data, a different research method may be better, such as focus groups or interviews.
2. Please circle gender:
Male Female
3. Please circle which media forms you would buy a hard copy of (eg CD, DVD):
Music Games Film
4. Please circle which media forms you download:
Music Games Film
5. Please circle which media forms you download without paying:
Music Games Film
6. How often do you download?______________________________________________________
7. Do you use music streaming sites such as Spotify or Sky Songs? Please state which sites you use.
________________________________________________________________________________
8. Do you use television on demand websites? If yes, please state which sites you use.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
9. Do you share downloads? ________________ If yes, please state who with:
a. My siblings
b. My family
c. My friends
There were problems with the original questionnaire such as pointless questions. The above questionnaire is the updated one.
Questionnaires are good for collecting lots of quantitative data but only if the questionnaire is well made, containing appropriate questions. However, to gather qualitative data, questionnaires are a bad idea because they do not go in to detail on the questions. To gather this type of data, a different research method may be better, such as focus groups or interviews.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Research Activity
BBC3's top five most viewed programmes this week are:
Ratings and audience figures are so important because if they can prove that they have a large audience, then they can sell advertising for more money. Good ratings can show that the media product is good, this will make the media company more well known for good products. Allows the media company to see what their audience likes by the change of ratings if something is good or bad.
We conducted a focus group of about 6 people. I learnt from the focus group that it is a good research technique to find out a large number of different opinions, and that often people's opinions bounce back and forth between each other to come to a conclusion about a question. There are dominant people in the focus group, these people are usually naturally talkative, or have strong opinions about the subject matter. These dominant people usually inspire the quiter people to share their opinions and views as well.
- Eastenders
- Don't tell the bride
- Edinburgh comedy fest live
- Family Guy
- Great TV mistakes
Ratings and audience figures are so important because if they can prove that they have a large audience, then they can sell advertising for more money. Good ratings can show that the media product is good, this will make the media company more well known for good products. Allows the media company to see what their audience likes by the change of ratings if something is good or bad.
We conducted a focus group of about 6 people. I learnt from the focus group that it is a good research technique to find out a large number of different opinions, and that often people's opinions bounce back and forth between each other to come to a conclusion about a question. There are dominant people in the focus group, these people are usually naturally talkative, or have strong opinions about the subject matter. These dominant people usually inspire the quiter people to share their opinions and views as well.
Friday, 10 September 2010
How and why does the media use research?
The media industry uses research to obtain information about their target audience. This can be used to determine the media products content. Media research costs a lot of money, but if the research is valuable, it will make more money back than it costs to conduct.
The reader profile is for the advertisers, to tell them about their readers. From the reader profile of magazine 'Uncut', we can see that the readership demographics is predominantly middle aged males, 77% working full time and 60% married or living with a partner.
Judging by the information on the reader profile, we can determine that the main classes who read the magazine would be C1 or C2.
Psychographics is how the media company thinks their consumers think. A great deal of research, such as interviews and focus groups have gone in to psychographics.
"We produce in a year what a big whisky maker will make in a day, so we don't have the resources to carry out large conventional research compaigns." Says Davies. "However, through social media we've managed to get some really good feedback. We've established people like our modern-looking bottles, which don't feature dragons or daffodils or anything too stereotypically Welsh. They also approve of our spelling of whisky, rather than whiskey. More importantly, we've researched drinking habits and are pleased to find people aren't just collecting our bottles, they are actually drinking them."
http:// www.nma.co.uk/features/social-media-research/3016672.article
Social media consists of things like facebook and other social networking sites. This allows users to share content amongst themselves. It is a good way for companies to conduct market research.
The reader profile is for the advertisers, to tell them about their readers. From the reader profile of magazine 'Uncut', we can see that the readership demographics is predominantly middle aged males, 77% working full time and 60% married or living with a partner.
Judging by the information on the reader profile, we can determine that the main classes who read the magazine would be C1 or C2.
Psychographics is how the media company thinks their consumers think. A great deal of research, such as interviews and focus groups have gone in to psychographics.
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
Content Analysis
Content analysis is analysis of a specific product, looking for information based on a query or set of queries. In this case, the query was "Are magazines representing ethnic minorities fairly?".
We analysed the magazine and looked at the photos, and counted the number of pictures of each ethnicity.We found that the amount of pictures of white people greatly surpased the amount of pictures of other ethnicities.
Roughly 100 pictures of white people were in the magazine, where only 17 pictures in the magazine were of people from different ethnicities.
We could have improved this method, and thus our findings by splitting up the ethnic minorities in to separate categories for each.
Another thing to take in to account is the prominance of the pictures we are counting, such as their scale and position on the page, and what page the picture is on.
We analysed the magazine and looked at the photos, and counted the number of pictures of each ethnicity.We found that the amount of pictures of white people greatly surpased the amount of pictures of other ethnicities.
Roughly 100 pictures of white people were in the magazine, where only 17 pictures in the magazine were of people from different ethnicities.
We could have improved this method, and thus our findings by splitting up the ethnic minorities in to separate categories for each.
Another thing to take in to account is the prominance of the pictures we are counting, such as their scale and position on the page, and what page the picture is on.
Research Methods
Primary and Secondary Research.
Primary research is information that comes straight from the source, then you find out for yourself. Examples of primary research could involve surveys and interviews.
Media research is used massively, especially focus groups which can really have an effect on the end result of a product. Focus groups for products usually consist of the products target audience.
Interviews are also used for media research. These allows the researchers to get a lot more detailed information out of a person, rather than asking generic questions to a group of people.
Observation is used as a media research technique. This allows the researcher to gather information about consumer's behaviour in regards to media consumption. This type of research is called 'Empirical'.
Internet chat rooms and forum's are also used as a way of obtaining primary research.
Secondary research is information that has been obtained from someone else's research from places such as books and blogs.
Media Guardian and the technology section of the Telegraph are both good sources for seccondary research.
Podcasts and documentaries can also be used as sources for secondary research.
Primary research is information that comes straight from the source, then you find out for yourself. Examples of primary research could involve surveys and interviews.
Media research is used massively, especially focus groups which can really have an effect on the end result of a product. Focus groups for products usually consist of the products target audience.
Interviews are also used for media research. These allows the researchers to get a lot more detailed information out of a person, rather than asking generic questions to a group of people.
Observation is used as a media research technique. This allows the researcher to gather information about consumer's behaviour in regards to media consumption. This type of research is called 'Empirical'.
Internet chat rooms and forum's are also used as a way of obtaining primary research.
Secondary research is information that has been obtained from someone else's research from places such as books and blogs.
Media Guardian and the technology section of the Telegraph are both good sources for seccondary research.
Podcasts and documentaries can also be used as sources for secondary research.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)