This week we once again had to read through our classmates blogs and comment on their topics and previous posts. Last week, we posted about qualitative research and how it is conducted and used in various aspects of the public relations field. The knowledge was mostly based off our classmate's presentations so there was a vast array of methods to choose from. I personally talked about ethnographic research in sports and how when a high school athlete is sent on recruiting trips for colleges they are immersing themselves in the culture of the university and becoming one of them, if only for a weekend. I was curious to see what other's took from class presentations and how they were able to apply it to their blog.
The first blog I looked at was Steph Ferris' post about blogs and qualitative research. She brought up some interesting topics and points I never would have thought of, or associated with qualitative research. She talked about how qualitative research is good at telling a story from the participants perspective. I thought that was a good way of putting it because we usually just talk about how it is their opinions and beliefs, but by phrasing it as them telling a story, it gives more credit to the participants.
She then took this one step further and said that blogging is the perfect example of qualitative research in this angle because blogging is a way for a subject to tell a story. The connection Steph made is something I would have never thought about or linked together. Another thing that was brought up was the idea of a diary being qualitative research. It is again a story being told by a certain subject. I wouldn't have ever thought of diaries being research because typically they are a private journal.
Overall Steph brought up the importance of social research and that it is going to be a great asset as social media continues to bloom in the industry.
Katerina Torres also focused her blog on social media, but instead of blogging she focused on social medias such as facebook. She brought up the fact that facebook has pages for companies, celebrities and products and that they often offer a discussion page. This discussion page is where the research is conducted. People can post their opinions on certain issues and from that researchers can go on and collect data.
The example Katerina used was about her favorite, and much of the country's favorite show, Glee. She mentioned how there is a character on the show whom happens to be her favorite, but often gets negative publicity for being rude or insensitive. Katerina went onto her facebook page to see what people were writing about her and found out that in fact the majority of facebook followers love her and had only good things to say about her. By Katerina doing this, she was conducting qualitative research. I never thought of this as being research because it was something we so often to. She really emphasized the point that research does not have to be formal or expensive or planned, but in fact we do it multiple times a day, everyday.
This made me think, if Katerina, a fan is doing this, are producers or editors or publicists doing this? It is a great way to find the new, hot, popular celebrity to use for an upcoming appearance or movie or photo shoot. It is a great way to get information on how the public receives your client or product. This form of research is definitely something that could be converted into a much more formal process.
Both girls talked about social media and the connection to qualitative research. I never really put the two together and always was under the impression research costs money and takes time, but they proved me wrong. It is simple, cheap and can be conducted under your own roof. It really is a great way for unobtrusive research to be conducted and for information to be gathered.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Be Part of the Team
After hearing all the presentations about qualitative research, i started to think how frequently the methods are used, not just in terms of sports public relations, but in everyday life. The topic that really stuck with me was the presentation on observation and ethnographic research. I find it fascinating to submerse yourself in a totally new environment to get a feel for the surroundings and how other people live. The group talked about a MTV show in which a guy went week from week living the life of another individual. Immediately my mind went to sports, and all i could think of was recruiting trips.
As a former athlete, and one who went on many recruiting trips, i realized i, myself, participated in ethnographic research. For that weekend I was a member of the team. I did not go to that school yet, and it was never even certain I would, but for my time there i became on of the girls. I went to their classes, ate with them, stayed in their room and went to their parties. I observed their practices and was part of the locker room talk. I felt as though I was undercover living one of their lives.
When i thought of this idea, i started researching it on the Internet, and found someone who had a similar experience as myself. I read an article about a boy being recruiting to top southern schools on a football scholarship. He talked about how great it was to get letters from the school, and calls from the coaches, and the five star treatment from the team and supervisors because it made him feel wanted. He felt he had already adapted to that lifestyle saying, " when you go on (a recruiting visit), it makes you feel a part of the program before you even go". That's a good recruiting trip. That means that he felt as though he meshed with the team and student body, and as a type of undercover critic, found himself being easily submerged in their culture.
However, not all recruiting trips go as smoothly, and there are times where the athlete finds themselves not fitting in. They don't like the people, they don't like the lifestyle, they don't like the school. Regardless of a positive or negative outcome from a recruiting trip, ethnographic research is still being done. For that weekend you still must live as them, you can just choose to enjoy it and continue on there, or hate it and find a better home.
Another topic in the presentation was observation. Like in many daily situations, when an athlete goes on a recruiting trip they must observe. They need to take in what they like and what they don't like. They need to understand what they are getting themselves into, and that goes for any student looking at colleges. You observe what the kids are wearing, what they are doing, what music they are listening to, and then try to place yourself there. I know that when I was looking at schools, I would see one, meet the team and coaches, and when I got home my parents would make me write out a list of everything I liked and didn't like. At the time I found it to be a pain , but looking back, especially after having a better understanding of qualitative research, i realized it was one of the best things i could have done. It is the reason i am so happy here at Quinnipiac. I took the time to observe, be part of the community, and make the decision to ultimately spend the next four years of my life here.
Ethnographic and observational research is done almost everyday. Whether you are aware of it or it is a subconscious habit, people on constantly observing. We all want to fit in and be part of the community. We all see what people do and if we like it, we do it. It is a part of natural human instinct to observe, and copy what you like, and as soon as I learned that, all I could think of was my experience searching for the perfect team.
As a former athlete, and one who went on many recruiting trips, i realized i, myself, participated in ethnographic research. For that weekend I was a member of the team. I did not go to that school yet, and it was never even certain I would, but for my time there i became on of the girls. I went to their classes, ate with them, stayed in their room and went to their parties. I observed their practices and was part of the locker room talk. I felt as though I was undercover living one of their lives.
When i thought of this idea, i started researching it on the Internet, and found someone who had a similar experience as myself. I read an article about a boy being recruiting to top southern schools on a football scholarship. He talked about how great it was to get letters from the school, and calls from the coaches, and the five star treatment from the team and supervisors because it made him feel wanted. He felt he had already adapted to that lifestyle saying, " when you go on (a recruiting visit), it makes you feel a part of the program before you even go". That's a good recruiting trip. That means that he felt as though he meshed with the team and student body, and as a type of undercover critic, found himself being easily submerged in their culture.
However, not all recruiting trips go as smoothly, and there are times where the athlete finds themselves not fitting in. They don't like the people, they don't like the lifestyle, they don't like the school. Regardless of a positive or negative outcome from a recruiting trip, ethnographic research is still being done. For that weekend you still must live as them, you can just choose to enjoy it and continue on there, or hate it and find a better home.
Another topic in the presentation was observation. Like in many daily situations, when an athlete goes on a recruiting trip they must observe. They need to take in what they like and what they don't like. They need to understand what they are getting themselves into, and that goes for any student looking at colleges. You observe what the kids are wearing, what they are doing, what music they are listening to, and then try to place yourself there. I know that when I was looking at schools, I would see one, meet the team and coaches, and when I got home my parents would make me write out a list of everything I liked and didn't like. At the time I found it to be a pain , but looking back, especially after having a better understanding of qualitative research, i realized it was one of the best things i could have done. It is the reason i am so happy here at Quinnipiac. I took the time to observe, be part of the community, and make the decision to ultimately spend the next four years of my life here.
Ethnographic and observational research is done almost everyday. Whether you are aware of it or it is a subconscious habit, people on constantly observing. We all want to fit in and be part of the community. We all see what people do and if we like it, we do it. It is a part of natural human instinct to observe, and copy what you like, and as soon as I learned that, all I could think of was my experience searching for the perfect team.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
He Said, She Said
One of my favorite topics we have discussed thus far in class is unobtrusive research. I find it so interesting since it is considered an expert research method, but it is essentially just spying. For my research method presentation, I did unobtrusive content analysis, and found it to be actually one of the most accurate research methods. You are naturally observing people in their habitat which means there are no influences. I didn't realize how often I conduct this type of research until I truly understood what it was.
I looked at Lindsey's Blog and found that she related unobtrusive research to her actually internship experience. I like that she was able to make a personal connection because I believe it makes it easier to understand. She had real life experiences and struggles to offer which made her blog very interesting to read. She also, like myself, didn't realize how often she conducted unobtrusive research. It is such a common sense, mindless act, but such a dependable form of research.
Jordan's Blog also was a good example of professional use of unobtrusive research proving how accurate and reliable it is. She talked about the American Cancer Societies campaign for Breast Cancer. For such a serious issue it was interesting that they can conduct research without formally asking any questions. The campaign wanted to know how many people donate and fund breast cancer awareness, and by doing that they observed the people and the number of participants in the walk. It was a very simple way to get a conclusion about donations, and something I wouldn't have considered research. To me, it seems as though it is standard procedure, but that is what is so interesting about it. It is such simple, yet respectful method.
I looked at Lindsey's Blog and found that she related unobtrusive research to her actually internship experience. I like that she was able to make a personal connection because I believe it makes it easier to understand. She had real life experiences and struggles to offer which made her blog very interesting to read. She also, like myself, didn't realize how often she conducted unobtrusive research. It is such a common sense, mindless act, but such a dependable form of research.
Jordan's Blog also was a good example of professional use of unobtrusive research proving how accurate and reliable it is. She talked about the American Cancer Societies campaign for Breast Cancer. For such a serious issue it was interesting that they can conduct research without formally asking any questions. The campaign wanted to know how many people donate and fund breast cancer awareness, and by doing that they observed the people and the number of participants in the walk. It was a very simple way to get a conclusion about donations, and something I wouldn't have considered research. To me, it seems as though it is standard procedure, but that is what is so interesting about it. It is such simple, yet respectful method.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
We're Watching You
In 2007, most football fans would have considered the New England Patriots to be a winning dynasty. Having won three Super Bowl Championships between 2002 and 2005, they were a powerhouse franchise hungry for more success. That is why the 2007 Patriots cheating scandal caused such an uproar.
The team was accused of secretly recording the New York Jets defensive signals after a total blowout win. This accusation started to disgrace the name and reputation of the team and allude to the fact that the Patriots success is largely due to their "hidden cameras". I read an article from ESPN that talked about what the accusations were and how they came to the conclusions. It mentioned repercussions the Patriots could suffer and how their court process will unfold.
However, as more information came out, more charges were made and the Patriots were being investigated on the number of radio frequencies they were using during given games and if that could have contributed to insider information causing an abundance of wins. The Patriots felt blindsided by this whole ordeal and owner, Robert Kraft, simple stated that he was not surprised his team was being investigated due to their success. Anytime someone is consistently winning, their competition will do anything to sabotage.
This scenario relates to unobtrusive research because if in fact the Patriots were filming signals and plays and using too many radio frequencies, they were doing it without the knowledge of the subjects. I never thought of hidden cameras as a research method until this class, but now am able to analyze the situation and conclude it was, in fact, unobtrusive research. They were studying the coaches and players in their natural habitat watching them do what they would typically do. There was no consent given to record the information and therefore could be considered an invasion of privacy.
This also brings up an ethics issue in that not only was there no confirmed consent, there was cheating involved. In any aspect of life cheating is frowned upon. Whether it is cheating or plagiarising in school, getting insider information, or even cheating on your spouse, it is never considered ethical.
The result of the scandal was that the Patriots were indeed found guilty of these accusations having apparently violated the no cameras in the coaches booth rule.
This relates to class due to the fact it was unobtrusive research and violated ethics. They were studying the plays on film from previous games and seasons which could be looked at as content analysis, and by having coaches assigned to observing the competitor coach's, indirect research would be performed. Knowing what plays are going to be executed totally changes the outcome of the game, and essentially eliminates the need to play.
Having sports as the focus of my blog, and being a die hard New England Patriots fan, I found this to be the perfect blog for this week. I remember the scandal and how it was shameful to be a Pats fan for those few weeks, but I never understood the research and ethics behind it. I, along with a lot of the population, just focused on the cheating and how absurd that was. Now, however, I realize that the collection of data plays an important role in that cheating and how it was unethical, not just the fact that they were cheating. This class has given me to opportunity to look back on past experiences and start to understand why things were right or wrong from research standpoints and how information was obtained. The understanding of research methods causes me to think more and consider where the information came from, how it can be used and whether or not its ethical.
The team was accused of secretly recording the New York Jets defensive signals after a total blowout win. This accusation started to disgrace the name and reputation of the team and allude to the fact that the Patriots success is largely due to their "hidden cameras". I read an article from ESPN that talked about what the accusations were and how they came to the conclusions. It mentioned repercussions the Patriots could suffer and how their court process will unfold.
However, as more information came out, more charges were made and the Patriots were being investigated on the number of radio frequencies they were using during given games and if that could have contributed to insider information causing an abundance of wins. The Patriots felt blindsided by this whole ordeal and owner, Robert Kraft, simple stated that he was not surprised his team was being investigated due to their success. Anytime someone is consistently winning, their competition will do anything to sabotage.
This scenario relates to unobtrusive research because if in fact the Patriots were filming signals and plays and using too many radio frequencies, they were doing it without the knowledge of the subjects. I never thought of hidden cameras as a research method until this class, but now am able to analyze the situation and conclude it was, in fact, unobtrusive research. They were studying the coaches and players in their natural habitat watching them do what they would typically do. There was no consent given to record the information and therefore could be considered an invasion of privacy.
This also brings up an ethics issue in that not only was there no confirmed consent, there was cheating involved. In any aspect of life cheating is frowned upon. Whether it is cheating or plagiarising in school, getting insider information, or even cheating on your spouse, it is never considered ethical.
The result of the scandal was that the Patriots were indeed found guilty of these accusations having apparently violated the no cameras in the coaches booth rule.
This relates to class due to the fact it was unobtrusive research and violated ethics. They were studying the plays on film from previous games and seasons which could be looked at as content analysis, and by having coaches assigned to observing the competitor coach's, indirect research would be performed. Knowing what plays are going to be executed totally changes the outcome of the game, and essentially eliminates the need to play.
Having sports as the focus of my blog, and being a die hard New England Patriots fan, I found this to be the perfect blog for this week. I remember the scandal and how it was shameful to be a Pats fan for those few weeks, but I never understood the research and ethics behind it. I, along with a lot of the population, just focused on the cheating and how absurd that was. Now, however, I realize that the collection of data plays an important role in that cheating and how it was unethical, not just the fact that they were cheating. This class has given me to opportunity to look back on past experiences and start to understand why things were right or wrong from research standpoints and how information was obtained. The understanding of research methods causes me to think more and consider where the information came from, how it can be used and whether or not its ethical.
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