Community investigations with the Crowdnewsroom
Crowd research is an innovative form of journalism in which the editorial team conducts research together with its community (also known as the crowd). beabee's CrowdNewsroom is the perfect tool for carrying out this type of research. This guide explains how to create a good CrowdNewsroom for crowd research.
How many questions should I ask?
When it comes to questions, the rule is: as few as possible, as many as necessary. The more questions you ask, the more quickly people may drop out of the survey – and the more work you will have in evaluating the results. Ask yourself with each individual question whether it contributes to answering your research question. If not, it is usually superfluous. Be sure to refrain from requesting detailed data that would only be useful for representational purposes. The CrowdNewsroom practically never allows representative data to be collected. Answers to crucial questions should be supported by evidence such as a photo or document.
Which questions should definitely be included?
Some of the most important answers are those that only the editorial team receives. This includes the question: “You may contact me if you have any further questions” (answer options: yes/no).
When many people share their stories, that's when the reporting gets exciting. That's why open-ended questions (“How do you experience the problem?”) should be accompanied by long text fields.
One open-ended question that should definitely be asked at the end is the most open-ended question possible: “What else would you like to tell us about this topic?” This often provides valuable information that we did not think of when developing the questionnaire.
At the end, there is also the option of inviting respondents to subscribe to a newsletter. This should always be a voluntary option. The wording is something like: “Send me the XYZ newsletter” (yes/no option) and a note about any steps that might be needed for data protection.
How can I build a crowd investigation?
The type of CrowdNewsroom you choose depends on the research question.
Many questions can be answered in the basic version, simply with multiple-choice quesitons and written answers. In this version, you do not need a map or a gallery, but you can still ask participants to upload photos, videos, and files. The answers are stored in the database in the backend and are not publically viewable.
Branching makes it possible to ask different questions depending on the answer – in a research project on rental prices, for example, a tenant would be asked a different follow-up question than a landlord.
Spatial questions can be answered with CrowdNewsroom.Atlas. First, the user sets a point on a map – then the questions appear. The Atlas is therefore suitable for questions that first ask for a location (for example: Where is being demolished?). A selection of the questions or all of them can be displayed on the map in real time, so that readers can browse the map to see what others have answered. Certain answers can be marked as confidential.
The gallery in CrowdNewsroom.Atlas displays images uploaded by users. The gallery is therefore primarily intended for questions related to images. For example, the most beautiful graffiti in the city or anti-constitutional symbols in public spaces can be displayed visually. In theory, the gallery can also be used without activating the Atlas. In most cases, the two displays are combined.
Last updated