This week I decided to go back to survey research and analyze two of my classmates blogs and compare and contrast them to my survey post. I looked at Jessica Tessier's, who also focused her blog on sports public relations, as well as Alexis Gerleit whose topic is fashion public relations. I found the two posts took a different approach than I did and it was interesting to see how different people handle the same topic.
Jessica Tessier focused her semester blog around sports public relations like myself, and throughout the semester I have looked at her posts as a comparison to mine. For survey research, I talked about Sports Illustrated online surveys that are often times reported during games or sports news. My surveys had fans as the subjects and asked various questions about baseball, the best team, player, stadium, coach, fans etc. Jess's survey was an ESPN survey that questioned 50 randomly selected NHL players. I thought this survey was unique because it doesn't seem very common to survey the players. My original thought was that surveys were predominately conducted through fan input. However, Jess's post proved me wrong and offered an interested perspective into the opinions of athletes. The survey wanted to get detailed information on the opinions of different cities and players according to various hockey players. Jess said the survey offered comic relief to ease the participants, but really answered the detailed questions the surveyors were looking for. Essentially, the survey killed two birds with one stone. Sneaky.
On the other end of the spectrum, Alexis Gerleit posted about fashion public relations and how surveys are conducted in that field. She provided a couple of examples from class, ones she found when researching and from Victoria's Secret. What I really liked about Alexis' post was that she applied her learning from class to real life surveys. She critiqued one from Victoria's Secret and was able to pick it apart to find the flaws. She found they used HATE and LOVE in their responses, which, like we learned, should be avoided. I liked Alexis' approach to that blog because it showed that our classroom knowledge can be easily applied to the outside world. I also liked it because you realize how many people may not actually know how to conduct surveys. Before this class I would not have thought anything of having HATE or LOVE as answers to choose from, but now after learning the proper technique, I know it is a major faux pas in survey research.
My favorite part of commenting on classmates blogs is that I get to see how other people handle the same situation. We all have different topics our blogs are focused around, but each week we post about the same research method. I love how people can drive their blog in totally opposite directions while still correctly answering the same question. I have learned a lot from my classmates methods and they have allowed me to think outside the box and approach situations in different ways.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Extra Jolt
It's no secret experiments are performed everyday in the sports world. Athletes test new equipment, new diets, trainers put together new conditioning routines, and everyone is testing the latest supplements and sports drinks. Researchers, product developers and inventors are always looking to test their latest developments, and often times athletes are the main target.
Recently, a study was conducted that tested the effects of sports and protein drinks on athletic performance. Athletes are always looking for a way to get ahead and elevate their skills and strength. The study reported that adding about 2% protein to a carbohydrate sports drink was able to increase endurance over just a plain carbohydrate drink. Multiple tests were done on various athletes from different sports and the results were conclusive.
When athletes start to dabble in different pills, supplements, and drinks, public relations practitioners need to be ready to interfere. Steroid scandals are on the rise, and should an athlete be caught in this problem their publicist needs to be ready to defend their client and re image the athlete. Examples like Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemons and David Ortiz, all high profile athletes under investigation of steroids, needed their PR team to take over the reins. Press conferences were held, tests were done, and statements were released. As we have learned before, coming out right away and clean is the most ethical and effective way to practice public relations.
The need for public relations in sports is very necessary when experiments start being conducted. If an athlete gets hurt with a new workout, sick from a new supplement, or accused of using performance enhancing drugs, public relations teams need to step in. First and foremost...cut to the chase and come clean!
Recently, a study was conducted that tested the effects of sports and protein drinks on athletic performance. Athletes are always looking for a way to get ahead and elevate their skills and strength. The study reported that adding about 2% protein to a carbohydrate sports drink was able to increase endurance over just a plain carbohydrate drink. Multiple tests were done on various athletes from different sports and the results were conclusive.
When athletes start to dabble in different pills, supplements, and drinks, public relations practitioners need to be ready to interfere. Steroid scandals are on the rise, and should an athlete be caught in this problem their publicist needs to be ready to defend their client and re image the athlete. Examples like Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemons and David Ortiz, all high profile athletes under investigation of steroids, needed their PR team to take over the reins. Press conferences were held, tests were done, and statements were released. As we have learned before, coming out right away and clean is the most ethical and effective way to practice public relations.
The need for public relations in sports is very necessary when experiments start being conducted. If an athlete gets hurt with a new workout, sick from a new supplement, or accused of using performance enhancing drugs, public relations teams need to step in. First and foremost...cut to the chase and come clean!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Survey Says...
Survey research seems to be the most basic research method out there. For the most part, surveys are easy to construct, simple to complete, and gives immediate answers and resluts. The information is easy to interpret because participants select from given answers. There is no need for interpretation or miscommunication. If the question is plainly put, the survey should give reliable answers to any research question.
I find surveys to be a very popular research method in sports. Whether it be to predict which team will win the big game, who is thought to be the highest played athlete, what is the most popular sport to watch, or who is the best athlete, surveys can be used and answers can be recieved. I found an article from Sports Illustrated online that contained multiple surveys. I knew Sports Illustrated is known for their surveys and polls becuase I grew up in a house of all brothers and a die-hard sports fan for a father. The article was all about baseball and asked various questions about the best players, the legends of the game, best stadium, best and worst fans, and who the best and worst coaches are. It picked apart and analyzed every segment of baseball. It presented the questions in a very matter of fact, simple way which would eliminate confusion to the particpants. In return, the data was presented in percentages with the highest first and continued in descending order allowing for easy reading and interpretation. 550 people participated in the surveys which is a good sample size, but what the article does not specifiy is if all 550 are regular Sports Illustrated readers, or where the sample came from.
I think, especially in sports when things are changing so rapdily and there are multiple games a day and things to report, surveys are a fun, effective way to gather informatoin. They are usually about the hot topics, be it scandal, upsets, or victory, and draw a lot of attention. It is an interatcive way to get readers involved as well as attracting new followers. Many times the Sports Illustrated polls are put on moving tickers at the bottom of games or sports programming which is further getting the name out. The high profile player critique, or fan favorite moments represented in the survey serve as fun, interesting reading material for the public, but can provide serious insight to coaches, players, or publicists about apprecaition of a player, or attitiudes regarding certain topics.
I think surveys are a fun, easy, effective way to gather information. In sports, the survey topics and questions are endless and there is always something arising that sparks curiosity. The need for opinion is a huge reason for surveys, and instead of asking open-ended questions and getting a million variations, surverys are quick, straight-forward and to the point. As long as there is no tricky wording in the question or contradiction in the answers, and the sample is drawn on a broad scale to get an accurate population representation, surveys are the way to go. Always listen to what the survey says!
I find surveys to be a very popular research method in sports. Whether it be to predict which team will win the big game, who is thought to be the highest played athlete, what is the most popular sport to watch, or who is the best athlete, surveys can be used and answers can be recieved. I found an article from Sports Illustrated online that contained multiple surveys. I knew Sports Illustrated is known for their surveys and polls becuase I grew up in a house of all brothers and a die-hard sports fan for a father. The article was all about baseball and asked various questions about the best players, the legends of the game, best stadium, best and worst fans, and who the best and worst coaches are. It picked apart and analyzed every segment of baseball. It presented the questions in a very matter of fact, simple way which would eliminate confusion to the particpants. In return, the data was presented in percentages with the highest first and continued in descending order allowing for easy reading and interpretation. 550 people participated in the surveys which is a good sample size, but what the article does not specifiy is if all 550 are regular Sports Illustrated readers, or where the sample came from.
I think, especially in sports when things are changing so rapdily and there are multiple games a day and things to report, surveys are a fun, effective way to gather informatoin. They are usually about the hot topics, be it scandal, upsets, or victory, and draw a lot of attention. It is an interatcive way to get readers involved as well as attracting new followers. Many times the Sports Illustrated polls are put on moving tickers at the bottom of games or sports programming which is further getting the name out. The high profile player critique, or fan favorite moments represented in the survey serve as fun, interesting reading material for the public, but can provide serious insight to coaches, players, or publicists about apprecaition of a player, or attitiudes regarding certain topics.
I think surveys are a fun, easy, effective way to gather information. In sports, the survey topics and questions are endless and there is always something arising that sparks curiosity. The need for opinion is a huge reason for surveys, and instead of asking open-ended questions and getting a million variations, surverys are quick, straight-forward and to the point. As long as there is no tricky wording in the question or contradiction in the answers, and the sample is drawn on a broad scale to get an accurate population representation, surveys are the way to go. Always listen to what the survey says!
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