So, originally I intended this blog to be about 2 things: -- a little more about myself and how I work/think than I can get across in a boring ol' bio; and
--de-mystifying survey research and calling out bad/sloppy/poorly reported research.
Yet I would be very, very remiss if I did not point out that many items under the second topic are thoroughly covered by the brilliant site pollster.com
So if by some odd chance you've arrived at this blog without knowing about Pollster.com, let me link to all the things I won't have to cover here, like:
- What is push polling? Are you doing push polls? Why, go here! http://www.pollster.com/blogs/the_ny_times_and_push_polling.php
- What is the latest on reaching cell phone users in phone polls? Why, go here! http://www.pollster.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.fcgi?tag=Cell%20Phones&blog_id=2
- Are these automated polls as good as live interviewers? Why, go here! http://www.pollster.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.fcgi?tag=Automated%20polls&IncludeBlogs=2
- I don't really understand what they mean by "weighting," but my pollster is such a bully I'm afraid to ask? Why, go here! http://www.pollster.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.fcgi?tag=Weighting&IncludeBlogs=2
You should be getting the idea that they cover a lot of topics, including very thorough trend lines on most major statewide races around the country. So, when folks wonder why I don't blog at least once a day, it's because I'm busy, because I really don't envision this blog as a place to spout off on every 'lil thing (my positions on issues tend to be pretty unimportant to my clients, they come with their own isues), and because there are sites whose job it is to blog everyday, and they do it better than I could. Pollster.com. Bookmark it!
Fun Fact: Mark Blumenthal, one of the main brains behind Pollster.com and a former pollster himself, was one of my first job interviewers w-a-a-a-y back in 1989(?) when he was an analyst at Hickman Maslin. I'm sure he doesn't remember, but he painted a rosy picture of long hours, tedious repetitive work, demanding clients, no advancement for at least 3 years beyond "the coding room," and low pay. I wish he hadn't sugar-coated things, I might have a chosen a different path!