During our ongoing study of the DIY research tool, Google Consumer Surveys, we were today presented with a straightforward question. How many medals would the USA win in the Olympics? But when we went to answer the question, we found that the number 80 had been pre-populated into the answer field. We thought this was [...]

4 months ago, Google launched its Do-It-Yourself research tool, Google Consumer Surveys (#gsurveys). While it would be unfair to say that Google Consumer Surveys staggers forward, coughing blood, it would be equally unfair to say the launch has been a robust success. Two problems are key: Not enough publishers have signed up to host the [...]

One of the Original 7 question types that Google launched Google Consumer Surveys with was Check Box. Check box is a simple concept: you can check all the answers that apply. Yet as we have observed, Do-It-Yourself researchers continue to misuse the question type, thereby shooting themselves in the foot and throwing away their research [...]

No takers so far on our earlier “calling all cars” post that asked if anyone had seen Google Consumer Surveys on websites other than LimaOhio.com? Google is being secretive about how many publisher websites it has penetrated with its Google Consumer Surveys offering. On our own, we stumbled across synonym.com, which attracts about 8,000 unique [...]

Google has refined the logo for Google Consumer Surveys and placed it on a T-shirt, as part of its ongoing, surprisingly timid product roll-out. To see everything we have written about Google Consumer Surveys, click here.

The opinion research industry has a term, SUGGING, which stands for “Selling Under the Guise” of conducting opinion research. This is considered unethical and deceptive, because it can mislead a research respondent to think that his/her answers are being used for scientific purposes when in fact the sponsor of the so-called research is just trying [...]

Many of the questions that are fielded using the DIY research tool Google Consumer Surveys are frivolous. The results tell you nothing. Not so this series of hub-and-spoke questions about Red-Green color blindness. (Hub question is outlined in red, spoke questions are outlined in purple.) Real thought went into this project, simple as it appears. [...]

Google Consumer Surveys continues to distinguish itself as an affordable way to identify low-incidence, needle-in-a-haystack populations. Today’s two cases in point, a survey looking for people who own a septic tank, and a separate survey looking to identify Manhattan adults of drinking age. To see everything we have written about Google Consumer Surveys, click here.

Who is using Google Consumer Surveys to test a paid subscription model for internet search, replacing the unlimited free internet searching that we now take for granted? Could it be Google using its own Do-It-Yourself research tool, Google Consumer Surveys? We doubt it. Could it be Bing fielding this research? Unlikely. MapQuest? Who do you [...]

History repeats itself because so many people weren’t listening the first time. You cannot use Google Consumer Surveys (the DIY research tool from Google) to test website design. The images are too small, as we have written over and over. Latest victim: the Better Business Bureau, which asks Google Consumer Surveys respondents to evaluate these [...]