Why not use Facebook for an online research community?

Facebook - ideal for research?

By Matt Foley Source: PluggedIn

I was giving a demo of our research community capabilities the other day when out of the blue someone asked me - “Why can’t we just set up an online research community in Facebook?” Wow. This is a complicated question to answer, especially when I haven’t finished my x-large Dunkin Donuts coffee for the day!

I’ll be honest - the question took me back a bit because they actually had a very valid point. Facebook is a great way to connect for ongoing customer insights, and to even create something of an ongoing research community. The people are there, the “essential” technology is there and (chances are) your company already has a presence there - so why not just use Facebook for your online research community?

As with most things in life, it’s not that simple. And I’m not just saying this because I build online research communities for a living :) Read on for reasons why Facebook might not make the most sense as a venue for your online research community.

Reason #1 - Privacy matters

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Reason #2 - Recruitment & knowledge of participants

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Reason #3 - You run the show

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Reason #4 - You “own” the show

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