[vox] [fwd] OSDL Linux Client Survey

[Sameer Verma]

Bill Kendrick wrote:

>More surveys! ;^)
>
>----- Forwarded message from Waldo Bastian -----
>
>Date: Thu, 3 Nov 2005 09:51:34 -0800
>From: Waldo Bastian
>Subject: [Kde-kiosk] OSDL Linux Client Survey
>To: kde-kiosk at kde.org, kde-enterprise at kde.org
>
>The Open Source Development Labs Inc. (OSDL) is currently conducting a Desktop 
>Linux survey and you are invited to take part.
>
>Data gathered by the web-based survey will help the OSDL's Desktop Linux 
>Working Group (DTL) to better understand the needs of desktop Linux user's 
>world wide. There are two dozen questions and the whole process is estimated 
>to take less than 15 minutes.
>
>Participants who complete the survey will be able to view the aggregated 
>public results of the survey. 
>
>You can participate in the OSDL Linux Client Survey here:
>http://developer.osdl.org/dev/dtl/survey.shtml
>
>Cheers,
>Waldo
>
>----- End forwarded message -----
>
>Note: The URL seems to be this, instead:
>
>  http://developer.osdl.org/dev/dtl/survey/start.shtml
>
>  
>
Sorry to be such a thorn in the side, but -- same problem, different
survey.

http://www.lugod.org/mailinglists/archives/vox/2005-11/msg00006.html

When you openly invite people to fill out a survey, the results are no
longer applicable to the target population (in this case, the Desktop
Linux users). I find it hard to believe that such surveys pop up all
over the place with little thought put into the validity issues. Of
course, most people will not question the methodology once the results
are published.

Any sampling gurus on the list? Care to comment?

Sameer

-- 
Dr. Sameer Verma, Ph.D.
Asst. Professor of Information Systems
San Francisco State University
San Francisco CA 94132 USA
http://verma.sfsu.edu/
http://opensource.sfsu.edu/