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Sb Reader Survey

By aardvarchaeology on August 12, 2008.

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ScienceBlogs has a huge audience (largely thanks to Pharyngula), which attracts advertisers. However, though the site's hit rate is a good quantitative selling point when you're pushing ad space, it lacks a qualitative dimension. If you advertise here, you know a lot of people will see your ad, but you won't know who they are.

My dad the ad man has actually worked with this sort of thing for decades. He and his colleagues will help you classify consumers and media outlets so that you can identify your ideal customer and ways to reach her. Put simply, if you're in the business of selling yarn and knitting needles, then you probably shouldn't advertise in Thrasher Magazine.

This, I believe, is the background to the Sb Reader Survey. The Overlords want to know who you are, in order to help the advertisers keep from plugging knitting needles to skateboarders. I'm not sure if there's really anything in it for you, beyond the chance of winning some home electronics. (I advise you to install Firefox and Flashblock so you never have to see an ad banner again.) But Madam Ginny, the Great Catherdswoman of Sb, has asked me to tell you about the survey. And I could never say no to Ginny.

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Speaking as one who both designs and uses surveys, I'd say this one could have been better in a number of respects.

As an example: several questions where only allowed one answer, while several responses would actually have been appropriate in my case. Thus, The Overlords will miss potential selling points to advertisers about how wonderfully multi-faceted their readership is.

Oh, and a pet peeve: except for the question on location, the whole survey is designed with an American perspective, including the address entry at the end - there wasn't even a box to enter your country of residence...