Crowdsourced Research using the CrowdNewsroom
Crowdsourced research is an innovative type of journalism in which the editorial team conducts research together with its community (also known as the crowd). You can find out more about what crowdsourced research is in our community journalism wiki. beabee offers the perfect tool for carrying out this research in the form of the CrowdNewsroom. This guide explains how to create a good CrowdNewsroom for crowdsourced research.
How many questions should I ask?
The rule of thumb is: As few questions as possible, as many as necessary. The more questions, the quicker people will be put off by the survey - and the more effort you will have to put into the evaluation. Ask yourself for each individual question whether it contributes to answering your research question. If not, it is usually unnecessary. Be sure to step away from asking for detailed data that would only be useful for representative 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 I definitely ask?
Some of the most important questions are those for information that only you as the editor receive. This definitely includes the question: “You may contact me if you have any questions” (answer option yes / no).
The more people have to say, the more exciting the story will be for you. This is why open questions (“How do you experience the problem?”) should have long text fields.
An open question that you should definitely ask at the end is the most open question possible: “What else would you like to tell us about the topic?” Here you will often find valuable information that you did not think of when creating the questionnaire.
There is also an option at the end to invite respondents to subscribe to your newsletter. This should always be a voluntary option. The wording is something like: “Send me the newsletter from XYZ” (option yes / no) and a reference to any steps required under data protection law.
What elements should I use?
The type of CrowdNewsroom you choose depends on the research question.
Many questions can be answered in the basic version with questions and answers in written form. In this version, you do not need a map or a gallery. However, documents can still be uploaded. The answers are stored in the database in the backend and are not published live.
In the basic version, all respondents are asked the same questions. In addition, you can branch out and ask different questions depending on the answer - in a research on rental prices, for example, tenants would be asked different follow-up questions than landlords.
Spatial questions can be answered with the CrowdNewsroom.Atlas. The interviewee first places a point on a map - then the questions appear. The Atlas is therefore suitable for questions that first ask about a location (for example: Where are demolitions taking place?). A selection of questions can be displayed on the map in real time so that users can browse the map to see what others have answered. Certain answers can be marked as confidential.
The gallery in the CrowdNewsroom.Atlas sorts the entries by using images uploaded by the community to form the overview. The gallery is therefore primarily intended for questions that have to do with images. For example, the most beautiful graffiti in the city or anti-constitutional symbols in public spaces can be displayed as images. In theory, the gallery can also be used without activating the Atlas. The two displays are usually combined.
What else is important?
How do you want to welcome the participants? Add a suitable text to the welcome slide.
Which logo do you want to use for the campaign? The logo of your medium or your own logo for the campaign? How to add a cover image.
How do you want to thank the participants at the end? Think of a thank-you phrase including a request to spread the link further. This is how you add it to the CrowdNewsroom.
When should the campaign start and when should it end? You can enter this in the CrowdNewsroom, here you can find out how.
Which area do you want to cover? Which map display do you want? (just for CrowdNewsroom.Atlas)
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