How To Implement Online Surveying And A Comparison With Traditional Surveys

Abstract

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">This paper is divided into two parts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The first part will discuss the techniques needed to implement a web-based survey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Part two will present the results that the authors have obtained using web-based surveying verses the traditional return by mail/fax surveys.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">A number of issues need to be addressed before a web-based survey can be implemented. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those issues are: selection of an Internet Service Provider, selection of server software, selection of Web creation software, building the web site, creating the form, and linking the website to a database. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The authors have conducted five major surveys over the last three years. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last three surveys have given the respondents the option of filling out the survey and mailing/faxing it back or responding online.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The results reveal a bias against the web.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>We will discuss some of the reasons we believe this to be the case.</span></span></p>