Take a survey

January 23, 2006 2:15 PM

If you want to help me and the site out, take a short survey to help match the site up with future advertisers. I'll publish a summary of results after it's done.
posted by mathowie to MetaFilter-Related at 2:15 PM (101 comments total)

Your currencies are restrictive.
posted by tellurian at 2:19 PM on January 23, 2006

I filled it out for you. I just have one comment. The one category regarding job level is impossible to answer outside the typical corporate structure as none of the answers fit:

Please tell us your job level.
CEO/President/Chairperson/Owner
COO/CFO/CIO/CTO/CMO
VP/SVP/EVP
Director
Manager/Supervisor
Other staff position
Not currently employed
posted by dios at 2:21 PM on January 23, 2006

Just to be clear, I didn't setup the survey, the people handling ads did. Dios, it sounds like "other staff position" probably covers it.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 2:22 PM on January 23, 2006

I filled it out and I have no comment.
posted by JeffK at 2:23 PM on January 23, 2006

And yet, comment you did. Heh.
posted by graventy at 2:26 PM on January 23, 2006

The connection has timed out

The server at external.fmpub.net is taking too long to respond.

Oh well. It's probably for the best that no advertisers know that I come here. I'm hardly a dream demographic. You'd start seeing nothing but text ads for pork rinds and bail bondsmen.
posted by TimeFactor at 2:27 PM on January 23, 2006

Interestingly, I filled a Fark survey out a few minutes ago (I know, I know, I'm sorry) and when I clicked on Matt's link I was told that I'd already filled the survey out. So I guess they're doing this for several different sites...
posted by littleme at 2:28 PM on January 23, 2006

So, how much is our information worth to you, Matt?
posted by orthogonality at 2:29 PM on January 23, 2006

Hah. So that means the results of the MetaFilter survey will be commingled with the results of the Fark one. Boy, are some advertisers gonna be confused.
posted by kindall at 2:30 PM on January 23, 2006

I dunno orthogonality. Should I give something away? I was considering tossing a iPod nano randomly at someone that answered it, but assumed people would game it.

I gave away a $150 universal remote on PVRblog when I did the similar survey a couple months ago.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 2:32 PM on January 23, 2006

that means the results of the MetaFilter survey will be commingled with the results of the Fark one. Boy, are some advertisers gonna be confused.
posted by kindall at 4:30 PM CST on January 23

I bet less than you would expect.
posted by dios at 2:35 PM on January 23, 2006

a $150 universal remote

WHAT
THE
FUCK
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY?!
posted by cortex at 2:36 PM on January 23, 2006

I've filled it out. Curious to see the summary of results!
posted by twiggy at 2:41 PM on January 23, 2006

Same as the Boing Boing survey as well. They didn't have a category for my job either time. I feel the internet has slighted me.
posted by flashboy at 2:42 PM on January 23, 2006

Would be curious too, just from a demographics standpoint. Perhaps something similar to what Bareback Andy used to have on his blog for both advertisers and the public to read through.
posted by Rothko at 2:44 PM on January 23, 2006

The results won't be mixed with Fark's. We apparently are using the same ad management company, but I'll give you a summary of just MeFi responses.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 2:44 PM on January 23, 2006

Will privacy be protected?
posted by caddis at 2:47 PM on January 23, 2006

Done and done.
posted by youarenothere at 2:51 PM on January 23, 2006

How often do you visit this site and/or view its content by way of its feed?

Does that mean RSS feed? One of the answers is "this is my first time!" and I'm not using RSS, so I'm a little confused.
posted by tristeza at 2:56 PM on January 23, 2006

Done. But they're not going to like how little money I spend on cutting-edge technology and/or consumer electronics gadgets, toys, or other products.
posted by languagehat at 2:59 PM on January 23, 2006

tristeza, by "this site" they mean MetaFilter.
posted by languagehat at 3:00 PM on January 23, 2006

Please be kidding me, languagehat.
posted by tristeza at 3:05 PM on January 23, 2006

By "its content" they mean the words you are reading right now.
posted by ChasFile at 3:10 PM on January 23, 2006

Done. (And in a relatively honest manner regarding the websites I most often visit.... heh.)
posted by R. Mutt at 3:11 PM on January 23, 2006

I hate you all.
posted by tristeza at 3:13 PM on January 23, 2006

But is it maed by sceince?
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 3:16 PM on January 23, 2006

It says I already filled it out. I think I would have remembered that.



It says I already filled it out.
posted by qwip at 3:19 PM on January 23, 2006

Presumably, they can only tell by IP but thats messed up - if you work at a large corp. or any other place where you share the same proxy, only one person will be able to fill it out.
posted by vacapinta at 3:25 PM on January 23, 2006

have a cookie
posted by caddis at 3:27 PM on January 23, 2006

Nevermind..they use cookies.

qwip - try clearing yours.
posted by vacapinta at 3:28 PM on January 23, 2006

Marketing Research?

Huh.
posted by five fresh fish at 3:33 PM on January 23, 2006

Done.
posted by interrobang at 3:48 PM on January 23, 2006

Added my voice to the masses.
posted by karmaville at 3:52 PM on January 23, 2006

oh, and tristeza:

(How often do you visit this site) and/or (view its content by way of its feed? )

I assume you have visited this site at least once. It wasnt phrased as clearly as it could have been.
posted by vacapinta at 3:52 PM on January 23, 2006

Does that mean RSS feed? One of the answers is "this is my first time!" and I'm not using RSS, so I'm a little confused.

If you're still looking for a proper explanation:
1. They mean the site linking to the survey, not the survey site.
2. Some sites are likely to make filling this out compulsory (or at least prompt first-time visitors with a Welcome To The Site, Please Take-a the Survey widget). So "This is my first time!" isn't all that unreasonable a response -- for such sites, they might in fact get to the survey on their first visit to the site (via its RSS feed or otherwise).
posted by cortex at 3:53 PM on January 23, 2006

*snickers*
posted by keswick at 3:54 PM on January 23, 2006

You should just send a data dump of each user's posting history. That would give them a wonderful insight into our weaknesses, and according to the President, asking for permission is for pussies.
posted by planetkyoto at 3:58 PM on January 23, 2006

done...it's so weird to see the ads that are put with your own posts when you're not logged in--my Roe v. Wade has stepparent adoption and European adoption ads (text ads).
posted by amberglow at 4:07 PM on January 23, 2006

You should definitely give iPods to everyone who responds. Great idea, thanks for thinking of it. Matthowie is the new Oprah
posted by theora55 at 4:09 PM on January 23, 2006

I do not want an iPod.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:15 PM on January 23, 2006

I'll take stavros', then I can slide down a bannister with two iPods in my hands and a toothpick in my mouth, like a geeky caucasian Chow Yun Fat. i have no idea what the hell im talking about.
posted by keswick at 4:19 PM on January 23, 2006

Done. I have no idea what this says about me, but I bloody love filling out surveys. Looking forward to the pie charts and such, too.
posted by jack_mo at 4:29 PM on January 23, 2006

Done, as accurately as possible. I feel dirty.

Please email [e-mail] to obtain shipping directions for any free iPods, gadgets, unwanted toys or other blinky things.
posted by loquacious at 4:34 PM on January 23, 2006

I got about 3/4 of the way through (I, too, love surveys) and hit enter by mistake and that was it for my survey. So they will never know my answers to the last few questions and if the ads are all skewed as a result, it's totally my fault.
posted by mygothlaundry at 4:39 PM on January 23, 2006

I adore filling in forms. I think it may be a symptom of OCD or something. In any case, I made sure to point out that they neglected to mention stay-at-home parents, which I'm sure Matt will appreciate. And like languagehat, I think they will be very disappointed in my spending habits.

Had I realised at first that the survey was being done by an outside party, I'd have put URLs for that last question, but I didn't. I hope the marketing folk know how to find Mefi, MoFi and MeCha.
posted by tracicle at 4:44 PM on January 23, 2006

cortex writes "a $150 universal remote

"WHAT
"THE
"FUCK
"CONSUMER ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY?!"

I'm assuming it was the logitech harmony universal remote. If it was, then it's easily worth the money. That thing is the household tech geek's dream, because it functions like any other remote, can be programmed by downloading ANY REMOTE CAPABLE DEVICE YOU CAN IMAGINE off the internet directly into the remote via usb, and doesn't tend to confuse the less tech savvy. It's a modern miracle of remote technology. You can set it up, leave it on the coffee table, and your family won't scratch their heads trying to figure out how it works. It's the shit.
posted by shmegegge at 5:10 PM on January 23, 2006

I filled it out. Can I have a tivo please Matt?
posted by CunningLinguist at 5:17 PM on January 23, 2006

How does it compare to the Philips Pronto? (US $349.99)
posted by keswick at 5:17 PM on January 23, 2006

Done. Bring on the targeted advertising! Mama needs a new pair of everything.
posted by LeeJay at 5:18 PM on January 23, 2006

Done. Ckecked it twice :)
posted by pjern at 5:24 PM on January 23, 2006

everything except the spelling on my post here, obviously.
posted by pjern at 5:25 PM on January 23, 2006

The 'job level' question is really stupid. Are you a CEO? Or a VP? Or a CFO? Or 'other'? Come on people, ask a question that would actually give you a useful answer.
posted by my sock puppet account at 5:26 PM on January 23, 2006

keswick writes "How does it compare to the Philips Pronto? (US $349.99)"

I don't personally know of a single person who prefers the pronto. The Pronto is unwieldy and difficult to program.
posted by shmegegge at 5:26 PM on January 23, 2006

Done. I like thinking about myself.
posted by iconomy at 5:34 PM on January 23, 2006

Done. Throw a white iPod Nano at us, please.
posted by mds35 at 5:43 PM on January 23, 2006

Jeez, that job level question made me feel like a complete loser. Thanks, Matt!
posted by MegoSteve at 5:46 PM on January 23, 2006

I don't want an I-Pod either. But that was a nice thought.
posted by snsranch at 5:49 PM on January 23, 2006

Do you want people who never buy things online to fill this out?
posted by reflecked at 5:54 PM on January 23, 2006

Done. Looking forward to seeing the results.
posted by Penks at 5:58 PM on January 23, 2006

Matt, I'd like to help you and the site out, but I have a cranky personal policy of not helping marketers (or actively thwarting them) if I can possibly do so. The loss of my single data point (although possibly the only one from Korea) probably won't matter much, though.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:55 PM on January 23, 2006

Do you want people who never buy things online to fill this out?

Yeah, I figured since I spent less than $100 "on cutting-edge technology and/or consumer electronics gadgets, toys, or other products" in the last year and never "travel by air for business," it'd probably be a lot better for Matt if I stayed far away from this one.
posted by mediareport at 7:01 PM on January 23, 2006

Done. BTW, What happened to the text ads we could purchase?
posted by lobstah at 7:11 PM on January 23, 2006

Done.

I think the people who wrote this survey don't realize people like me exist. Other, other, other, other, uh, maybe this one option here kinda might be accurate from a certain point of view.
posted by cmyk at 7:20 PM on January 23, 2006

done
posted by bonaldi at 7:20 PM on January 23, 2006

Done. I felt a little slighted by the job categories, too. Maybe I should have gone to CEO school like my parents wanted.
posted by pinky at 7:25 PM on January 23, 2006

Done and done.
posted by sugarfish at 7:36 PM on January 23, 2006

It actually hurt me to think of how much I've spent on stupid, useless junk in the last year.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:45 PM on January 23, 2006

Done. Oh, wait.

Done.
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:52 PM on January 23, 2006

Matt, only for you would I fill out a marketing survey. Only for you.
posted by Afroblanco at 8:19 PM on January 23, 2006

I like the jobs question. It puts you in your place.
posted by smackfu at 8:26 PM on January 23, 2006

Done, and what afroblanco said.
posted by Lynsey at 8:32 PM on January 23, 2006

How does your time-spent with Internet/digital content compare with print, TV, etc?

What a confusing question. Does 'print' include novels? (I mean, they can't place ads in novels). Does the etcetera include walking around looking at billboards?
posted by nobody at 9:02 PM on January 23, 2006

Plus at the end it says

Thank You for your time[.]
Your feedback helps us tailor Metafilter to your needs.

which, given the scope of the questions, really can't be true.
posted by nobody at 9:04 PM on January 23, 2006

Matt, I'd like to help you and the site out, but I have a cranky personal policy of not helping marketers (or actively thwarting them) if I can possibly do so.

Hey - thanks for popping in and sharing how cool & anti-marketing you are. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known, and see, now I do. That comment was totally worth making!
posted by jonson at 9:33 PM on January 23, 2006

Did anyone else get a question asking if you know what a "." all by itself in a comment means?
posted by stet at 9:35 PM on January 23, 2006

Hey - thanks for popping in and sharing how cool & anti-marketing you are.

Oh, fuck off, you chucklehead.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:47 PM on January 23, 2006

Also, now I have plans! Earlier I was gonna maybe read, or watch 24, but now I think I'll fuck off! Thanks, stav, keep up the helpful contributions!!!
posted by jonson at 10:03 PM on January 23, 2006

I sure will!! You too, swell internet friend!!!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:10 PM on January 23, 2006

Ah, having actually looked at your profile, I see that it says "Occupation: Marketer", so I understand your random driveby assholery now. You felt personally threated by my comment.

Poor booboo.

Well, I'll quote the oft-quoted Bill Hicks, because he was also so cool & anti-marketing:

By the way, if anyone here is in advertising or marketing, kill yourself. Thank you, thank you. Just a little thought. I'm just trying to plant seeds. Maybe one day they'll take root. I don't know. You try. You do what you can.

Kill yourselves. Seriously though, if you are, do. No really, there's no rationalisation for what you do, and you are Satan's little helpers, OK? Kill yourselves, seriously. You're the ruiner of all things good. Seriously, no, this is not a joke. "There's gonna be a joke coming..." There's no fucking joke coming, you are Satan's spawn, filling the world with bile and garbage, you are fucked and you are fucking us, kill yourselves, it's the only way to save your fucking soul. Kill yourself, kill yourself, kill yourself now.

Now, back to the show.

Not that I think you should actually kill yourself, jonson. I'm sure you're one of the good marketers. I'm just trying to keep up with the helpful contributions.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:26 PM on January 23, 2006

Yeah, you really don't want my responses messing this up, Matt. Unless you want sponsorship offers from Hobo's Choice Instant Broth - Turkey Gullet Flavor.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:28 PM on January 23, 2006

oh cool! stavrosthewonderchicken is going for the anti-marketing dollar-- that's a huge market!
posted by keswick at 10:55 PM on January 23, 2006

Pleae tell me if we start having Hobo ads so I can turn off my ad blocking.

That's the question these folks should ask...they need to nail the ad-blocking demographic, that's a very big dollar. They've done studies.
posted by freebird at 11:01 PM on January 23, 2006

Hobo's Choice Instant Broth

You're paying way too much for broth, Alvy. Dumpster Divers is *much* cheaper.
posted by mediareport at 11:06 PM on January 23, 2006

I filled out the survey, now all those US based advertisers after the lucrative New Zealand market will know where to go.

Matt, I'd be interested to know how you would have known who'd filled it out, I mean, if you were going ahead with you Ipod idea.

Which I guess I kind of wish you had. I could have sold it and bought an iriver.

I had no problem with the jobs options, but I did have a problem with the currencies.

Stavros, I love you like the dirty uncle my mother wants to pretend isn't related to her, but who cracks up all the kids.
posted by The Monkey at 11:48 PM on January 23, 2006

Not that I think you should actually kill yourself, jonson. I'm sure you're one of the good marketers.

No, no, I'm definitely one of the bad marketers - crass greed & salesmanship are my stock in trade. It's not so much that I felt threatened by your comment as that I found your desperate need to chime in on Matt's "hey, if you want to help out, here's something you could do" thread with "I'd love to help, but I'm too cool for that shit" kinda pathetic. I mean seriously, grow up. No one here gives a rats ass what you think. Unless you happen to have a HH Income of >$175K/yr and are in the "early adopter" market segment for technology gadgets, in which case, my email's in the profile (which I'm glad to see you read!), contact me, I have lucrative opportunities that you'd be insane to pass up!
posted by jonson at 11:50 PM on January 23, 2006

The ipod would require people drop their email in the optional survey question about that so I could contact them.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 12:07 AM on January 24, 2006

Looking at it now. I take it from the comments that this not your survey, Matt? In which case I won't be providing my email addy.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 12:16 AM on January 24, 2006

Done. but no email addr for them.
posted by todbot at 1:18 AM on January 24, 2006

So if we give an email addy we get an Ipod? Glad I read the thread before filling it out!
posted by Iamtherealme at 1:34 AM on January 24, 2006

No one here gives a rats ass what you think.

And that's different from the rapt masses' interest in what you think, is it, captain? I mean, it seems clear that you are under the apprehension that people (or perhaps only me, in which case we are back to random driveby assholery) care about what you think -- right? -- or you wouldn't have bothered in the first place.

Honestly, you'll have to do better than that. Rat's asses are going to waste out here!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:47 AM on January 24, 2006

Done but didn't give an e-mail addy. Only for metafilter!
posted by Wilder at 4:10 AM on January 24, 2006

mathowie said 'The ipod would require people drop their email in the optional survey question about that so I could contact them.'

But if you fill in your email, you give this anonymous market research company permission to spam you: Can we contact you by email for future research? If yes, please enter your email address here.

Suppose that's probably worth an iPod, though.
posted by jack_mo at 4:45 AM on January 24, 2006

Please don't mention you that read the site via RSS. I hate RSS ads.
posted by blag at 8:23 AM on January 24, 2006

I won't be doing RSS ads, and the company collecting data is the ad management company itself, not a marketing agency or anything.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 8:32 AM on January 24, 2006

Great news - thanks.
posted by blag at 9:44 AM on January 24, 2006

Done. Looking forward to the results.
posted by fingers_of_fire at 10:26 AM on January 24, 2006

done completed.
posted by pithy comment at 11:06 AM on January 24, 2006

Done and also looking forward to the results. Weird how many of us own up to liking to fill in surveys.

I didn't put in my email but I want a pony Tivo.
posted by deborah at 11:25 AM on January 24, 2006

I want World peace.
posted by caddis at 11:30 AM on January 24, 2006

Would you settled for whirled peas?
posted by keswick at 11:38 AM on January 24, 2006

with extra salt and butter please
posted by caddis at 11:39 AM on January 24, 2006