I really enjoy forums (in particular) as a research tool because the data - the themes, ideas, insights - is rich. I'll provide some illustrations in this blog.
What insights or themes does one draw from forum discussions and posts?
1. Members sometimes identify facets of a service or product they believe is invaluable but the business has never promoted or thought of promoting.
2. Despite the best trials of a service, once members use a system they locate its best and weak points. They will tell you what they like and they will tell you what they don't. In another blog I'll discuss the management of these types of forum discussions but suffice to say these insights are very useful.
3. Members' discussions lead you to sometimes identify other markets for your service or product. This said, what you have may need to be amended somewhat for this other demographic. Nonetheless, you are given pointers.
4. Members tell you how they'd like you to engage with them. If they have cause to celebrate e.g. a golf club forum where members have just won a major championship, they will generally tell the owners of the forum, in this case the club, what they would like to see 'happen' e.g. an announcement on the main page of the website or similar.
5. Members enjoy a sense of community; a likemindedness in the face of age and gender difference and so on. They like being provided with a safe haven to discuss and a place that is secure and safe. They like to believe that the business is listening. This is also a management issue to be discussed in the future.
This list in not exhaustive, but representative, however I believe it illustrates some of the useful data that can be drawn from forums.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
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