The following survey about the online community grinnellplans.com, or Plans, seeks collect data which will help understand exactly how people use their plans and how the community interacts both online and in person. The survey should take approximately five (5) minutes.
Surveys will not be uniquely identified, and no personal information will be collected other than gender (which is optional). Any quotations used from the final optional question on the survey will be used anonymously in the final presentation and gender will only be associated with a quotation if it illuminates a general trend that is specifically found in that quotation.
If you decide to participate, you are free to withdraw at any time without any negative consequences.
The data from the will be used solely for academic purposes by Mark Root-Wiley, first year student at Grinnell College, for his final project in Professor Karla Erickson's Introduction to Sociology class.
Any questions or comments can be sent to Mark Root-Wiley (641-269-3595) at rootwile@grinnell.edu; Karla Erickson at ericksok@grinnell.edu; or Bob Grey, chair of the Grinnell College Institutionaly Review Board, at grey@grinnell.edu.
By clicking the button below to take the survey, you acknowledge that you have read the information above and consent to participating in the study.
This survey has been approved by Grinnell College Human Subjects Committee but is hosted and administered independently of the college.
Gender (Male, Female, decline)
Status (Student, Staff, Faculty, Alumni, Other)
Year joined plans. (1,2,3,4, After Grinnell)
Do you use your plan to: (post on your plan?, read other peoples' plans?, post on your plan AND read other peoples' plans?)
How often do you log onto plans? (More than once a day, Once a day, Once every two or three days, Once a week, Less than once a week)
Relative to those log ons, how often do you update your plan? (Every time, Every second or third, When I need to respond to plan love, Never)
Have you used any of the following features in the past two weeks? (Yes, No) (Secrets (read or written)?, Notes?, Plan Genesis (recently created plans)?, Plan Watch (recently updated plans)?, Random Plan?, The notice on the bottom of the page of who has most recently updated (“Do you read [barkerbo] who just updated?”)?)
How many plans would you estimate you have on your auto read list? (0-25, 25-50, 50-75, 75-100, 100+)
How many of the plans showing on your auto read list do you read (open and at least browse)? (One in Four, One in Two, Three in Four, All or Almost All)
Do you have more than three groups (non-persons) on your auto read list? (Yes, No)
Do you have people you do not know or barely know on your auto read list? (Yes, No)
Do you read plans of people you do not know because of plan love given to them by someone you do know? (Yes, Almost Never)
Do you add people you do not know to your auto read list because of plan love given to them by someone you do know? (Yes, Sometimes, No)
Do you “tier” your auto-read list into either 2 or 3 sections? (Yes, No)
If so, how do you divide them up? (Groups/People, relationship to person outside of plans, etc. . .) (Text Area)
Do you read plans on the higher tiers more frequently than on the lower ones? (Yes, No)
When making an entry do you: (add it to whatever is in your plan?, delete everything other than your current post?, add it on top of “fairly recent” entries while clearing out older ones?)
Do you have any permanent plan entries? (Yes, No)
If so, what are they? (Contact Information, quotations, permanent plan love, etc. . .) (Text Area)
Relative to logging onto plans, how often do you check for plan love? (Every time, 75%, 50%, 25%, less than 25%)
Do you check for plan love with the “quick love” feature or the search feature? (Quick Love, Search)
Do you usually respond to plan love? (Yes, No)
Do you usually receive a response to plan love you give? (Yes, No)
Do you ever respond to plan love in any of the following ways? (Yes, No) (An instant messaging client?, E-mail?, Phone?, In person?)
Have you ever befriended someone outside of plans because of interactions on plans? (Yes, No)
Have you ever communicated with someone you did not know via plan love? (Yes, No)
Is plans an effective means of communication? (Yes, No)
How would you describe plans (in however many words you would like) to someone who has no experience with it and knowledge of it? (Optional Text Area)