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2011

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Research Proposal J.560

Melissa Ohlemiller

Research Proposal 2011

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Table of Contents

Background……………………………………………p.3

Research Problem………………………………….p.8

Organization………………………………………….p.10

Concepts and Terms………………………………p.11

Research Methodology………………………….p.17

Sample………………………………………….p.19

Justification for Research Questions...…..p.19

Data Collection Plan………………………………p.19

Data Analysis Plan…………………………………p.21

References…………………………………………….p.23

Apendices……………………………………………..p.26


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Historical Background

Modern public relations is certainly a 20th century phenomenon, however the origin is

ancient (Seitel,2011, p.55). For years society has understood the importance of influencing

public opinion through persuasion ( Seitel,2011,p.55). The sophists in ancient Greece fought

verbal battles for politicians using their reasoning and rhetoric (Seitel,2011). This later set the

stage for today’s lobbyists, who attempt to influence legislation with effective rhetoric and

communication practices (Seitel,2011,p.55).

During the revolution, colonists attempted to persuade King George III that they should

have the same rights as Englishmen and not be subject to taxation without representation

(Seitel,2011). When the request was denied, Samuel Adams organized a committee of

correspondence and circulated anti-British information throughout the colonies. Adams and his

cohorts later staged the Boston Tea Party (Seitel,2011). Thomas Paine also contributed writing

pamphlets that urged colonists to come together (Seitel,2011). The pamphlet performed a

function later fulfilled by print newspapers.

In 1903, Ivy Ledbetter Lee was the first practitioner to promote the philosophy of the

public being informed (Seitel,2011) .He believed a company should strive to earn public

confidence and goodwill. Lee opened the gates for modern public relations (Seitel,2011).

However, the real growth of public relations began with Edward Bernays (Seitel,2011).

Bernays was the first to teach courses in public relation (Seitel,2011). He also promoted a more

sophisticated one-way approach to communications contending that public relations attempts

to engineer public support through the use of information, persuasion and adjustment

(Watson &Noble, 2005). After counseling clients on the importance of strategic


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communications he named what he considered “publicity” to “direction to counsel in public

relations” (Seitel,2011). Public relations not only developed into a popular theory but into an

occupation.

Public relations is a planned process to influence public opinion, through sound

character and proper performance, based on mutually satisfactory two-way communication

according to Seitel (2011, p.36). According to Katie Paine(2007), PR is the process of building

and enhancing relationships with key constituencies (Paine,2007,p.1). While the definitions of

public relations vary, one thing is consistent, mutually beneficial relationships with the public.

Several trends abroad in society have influenced the evolution of public relations

according to Seitel (2011,p.54). One trend is the growth of institution demonstrated by the

growth of what used to be “mom-and-pop” groceries stores into what are now very large

institutions (Seitel,2011). Public relations professionals have to be equipped to handle these

large developments (Seitel,2011).

In a changing society, conflict and confrontation, such as women’s rights, layoffs, gay

rights etc. have influenced public relations(Seitel,2011). Technological advancements have also

changed public relations. Common use of the internet has allowed activists to become

increasingly more visible and effective. Anyone with access to a computer can be a publisher

(Seitel,2011). Public awareness has increased with media sophistication and the technological

developments that have happened through the years (Seitel,2011). First it was the printing

press and now society is in the age of highly developed technology.

The dominance of internet and the growth of social media is a more recent trend in

which millions of people of are not only “instant consumers” but “instant generators” of


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communication(Seitel,2011). Nearly 1.4 billion of people in the world use the internet (Seitel,

2011). The most recent popular tool is social media. Social media are the various forms of user

generated content and the collection of websites and application that enables people to

interact and share information online (Coman&Paun, 2010).

Social media applications include such sites as Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, Digg,

Flickr, and various blogs. They allow people to share content, opinion, insights, experiences and

perspectives (Seitel, 2011). In a society that is extremely fast paced and desires immediate

access to information, social media is another way to satisfy that expectation. Some of the

advantages of social media are that it’s interactive, it’s instantaneous, and it’s highly visible

(Coman & Paun, 2010).

Social media for Public Relations is a great tool as well. According to James Grunig,

public relations practitioners have rapidly embraced social media as being at the center of what

they consider to be the new form of public relations (Grunig J.,2009,p.1) . Social media as a new

element of public relations, has revolutionized the way organizations and individuals

communicate to their key constituent publics around the world (Seitel,2011).

Public relations has heightened with public opinion. Public opinion has risen with the

outbreak of democracy and capitalism throughout the world (Seitel,2011). Blogs and other

types of social media are a way to connect individuals with like- minded individuals. In China

alone there are 75 million blogs(Seitel,2011). According to Technorati(2008) more than 50,000

blogs mention typical news events and some days that figure is larger than 100,000(as cited in

Wright & Hinson, 2009, p.8).Public opinion is a powerful tool especially when there is a mass

amount of it. The web has truly defined itself as “the place to be” in 21st century political public


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relations ( Seitel,2011). Grunig(2009) stated ,“Social media promises to have positive

consequences for the public relations profession. If social media is used to its full potential, I

believe it will make public relations practice more global, strategic, two-way and interactive,

symmetrical or dialogical and socially responsible,”(Grunig J.,2009, p.1). According to Robert J.

Key (2005),Public relations in the digital age requires understanding how your key constituents

are gathering and sharing information, and then influencing them at key points. Doing so

requires strategies that embrace the digital age( as cited by Wright & Hinson ,2008, p.3).

With the rise of public opinion and democratic yearnings, social media gives people

around the world a voice. Voicing public opinion in politics is essential to making use of

freedom of speech. Social media is clearly used in public relations, but what about in public and

governmental affairs? In the Presidential election of 2008, Barack Obama took social media use

to a new level (Macnamara,2010).

Obama took advantage of using social media by using it for campaign fundraising. His

organization raised 36 million dollars over the internet (Seitel,2011). Ninety percent of the

online transactions came from individuals who donated 100 dollars or less and 40 percent from

25 dollars or less (Seitel,2011). This cemented the idea that social media and e-lobbying can be

influential. Obama was the first “digital presidential candidate”(Seitel,2011). He utilized social

media to his benefit. He reinvented how to reach the public and develop beneficial

relationships(Seitel,2011). He created blogs, had 1.5 million friends on Facebook, and 45,000

followers on Twitter(Seitel,2011). Obama got the word out in vast numbers to the voters and

his popularity rose.


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The emergence of social media in politics has created “Governance 2.0”. The impact on

governments includes increased transparency and participation of citizens in decision-making

and more collaboration between agencies, according to a study by Adegboyega Ojo, Elsa

Estevez and Tomasz Janowski (Ojo ,A., Estevez, E. &Janowski J.,2010,p.105). Various

governments have responded strongly to these opportunities, using social media in engaging

citizens (Ojo, A., Estevez, E. &Janowski J.,2010).

So the question arises: is there reason for public officials at all levels to use social

media to develop their relationships with key constituents?

Research Problem

As demonstrated by the background section, social media is clearly utilized in public

relations and even governmental affairs, but there is no data to demonstrate its level of

influence. According to Macnamara(2010), despite considerable rhetoric in relation to social

media use in public relations, there is a lack of empirical data on the extent and ways in which

public relations practitioners are utilizing these media and networks (Macnamara,2010, p.1).

There are meaningful gaps when measuring the differences between what is happening

and what should be happening with social media( Macnamara,2010). As shown in the study

Macnamara (2010) conducted, there is a lack of research and understanding of social media in

public relations. At the same time, social media challenges the traditional instruments of

government public relations(Coman& Paun,2010).

According to Brooke Liu and Suzanne Horsley(2007,)in government relations,

meaningful communication with the people is not merely a managerial practicality but a moral,


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obligation that originates from the basic covenant that exists between government and the

people( Liu, &Horsley , 2007,p.379). They assert that the government has a moral obligation to

communicate efficiently to the public. Is social media a tactic that will produce more

meaningful communication?

With the development of social media gaining momentum in “Governance 2.0”(social

media in government) in the last five years. Should it be used more often in public and

governmental affairs? More specifically this study is going to evaluate the influence of social

media on public officials. The most efficient way to do so is to go to the foundation of research.

With only a handful of governments having a strategy to harness the benefits of social media,

the question still remains whether social media can be influential with public officials (Ojo, A.,

Estevez, E. &Janowski, J.,2010).This study is going to bridge the gap between social media’s

potential and its actual use with public officials.

This research looks at the use of technology as being a good addition, but not a means

of creating excellence on its own. “Good to great” companies think differently about the role of

technology and they do not use technology as a primary means of igniting transformation

(Collins,2001). They also recognize technology is not the root cause of either greatness or

decline (Collins,2001). Though social media may not be a ends to the means, it could be a factor

in success to the researcher’s client.

The following questions were developed to assist with answering the overarching

research question of how influential social media is on public officials:

Sub Question 1- Does social media help to achieve excellence in government affair issues?


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The model of public relations excellence is a foundational model. This is looking at a

combination of how two-way symmetrical communication is used and whether decentralized

communication in this department will help the overall organizational strategy. When

answering if social media helps achieve excellence in government officials, it is essentially

asking what the importance is to the researchers client and whether it will be a good addition

to their company in the future.

Sub Question 2- Do government officials believe social media influences the general population?

Answering this will help to recognize how legislators view the use of social media in

their political affairs. Do they use this to influence constituents? Do they read what constituents

write to them? Does it influence their election campaigns? If public opinion is perceived to be

unaffected, it will cast doubt the apparent utility of social media.

Question 3- Should social media be utilized more in the future with public and governmental

affairs?

This question is going to influence the recommendation report after the research is

done. This will be answered once the value of social media has been identified from the survey

response. It will help to understand the overall tactical strategies that public officials use so that

the client can know how to utilize their own strategies when it comes to public and

governmental affairs. The answer will help recommend to the company whether social media

should be a part of strategic development in their new department.


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Question 4- Is it engaging for the public officials and constituents?

Being that engagement is key component to public relations. This question is examining

whether active two-way symmetrical communication is happening between public officials and

their constituents.

Sub Question 5- Does generational and age considerations influence the attitudes and

utilization of social media?

People use technology in various ways. Do generational gaps exist? This question is

looking at social media and whether age has a direct correlation-will the beliefs and behavior

of the government officials be impacted by their age? It will also be interesting to see how

technological advanced individuals are within the organization.

Organization Studied

Trendy Minds is local advertising agency in Indianapolis that is growing in popularity,

market share and staffing. The company was developed in 1996 and is known for their

creativity, design and solid results (trendyminds.com,2011) The company thrives on coming up

with creative, strategic and interactive solutions that will take clients to the next level. This

company specializes in public relations, fundraising, public and governmental affairs, crisis

communication, social media, advertising campaigns, web design etc. This company places a

huge emphasis on research no matter who the client is. They listen to what the client says and

what others are saying about the client (trendyminds.com, 2011).

The newest addition to the company is public and governmental affairs. Justin

Ohlemiller, Chief Communication Officer of the company is the head of the division. Ohlemiller

assists with negotiating lobbying, media strategy, and crisis management. He also helps clients


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with research, strategy, execution and evaluation by implementing tools from all three of the

companies’ main service lines: interactive, strategic and creative (trendyminds.com ,2011).

Regarding government, Trendy minds believes strategy is everything. According to their

site ( 2011) utilizing the right tactics and message, government can be solution instead of an

actual problem in today’s society (trendyminds.com,2011).

This company is a good candidate for which to do research because, they just added a

new division of public and governmental affairs and are trying to determine the best strategies

for that division. They thrive on research, strategy and execution. Technology may not be the

main component to success but, could be a good additional tactics. Social media is frequently

used with this company in that they compose their own blog and develop clients’ social media

pages. However, the company desires to know more about social media and the impact on

public officials. This is a company that appears to strive for PR excellence. This study’s results

will look at how to further that idea of excellence.

Definitions of Concepts and Terms

In order to understand the background of social media and how it influences public

officials, the researcher has provided some key concepts and terms. These terms were deemed

relevant when they were identified in the various studies looking at public relations excellence

and communication, social media and societal views, public relations management and use of

social media in politics.

Excellence Theory


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In order for public relations to be successful, a PR department is only as good as its

access to management (Seitel,2011). According to Lester Potter, it’s not just doing things right,

it’s also about doing the right things (as cited in Grunig J.,Grunig L. & Dozier,1992) The

Excellence study conducted by James and Larissa Grunig, and David Dozier studies the idea of

what components create excellence in public relation management. The study was divided into

four sections: the communication knowledge base, shared expectations about communication,

the character of the organization and putting excellence to work (Grunig et al.,1992). Within

the knowledge of communication are three spheres of communication excellence: core

knowledge, shared expectations and participative culture (Grunig et al. ,1992). It demonstrates

the link between powerful people in the department that have knowledge base of

communication and distinguish excellence from less-than-excellent communication(Grunig et

al.,1992).

The shared expectations of communication involve the idea of two way communication

in which communicators seek to manage conflict and promote mutual understanding with key

publics(Grunig et al. ,1992). In the character of the organization, the organization is to create a

participative culture in which individual’s value teamwork and broadly share decision making

to provide a nurturing environment for communication excellence (Grunig et al.,1992).

This study narrows the idea of management excellence in public relations and will give

the researcher an ideal model as a standard for success. While this study is looking at social

media, it is also looking at a way to further excellence in public relations. Management is

foundation to public relations. Not only is management important to the Grunigs but, for other

theorists as well.


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Scott Cutlip, Allen Center and Glenn Broom state that public relations is the

management function that identifies, establishes, and maintains mutually beneficial

relationships between an organization and the various publics on whom its success or failure

depend ( as cited in Watson &Noble,2005,p.5). Cutlip et al., first describes the management

function which implies it is a deliberate, planned action that has an outcome in mind and

mutually beneficial relationships relate to a two-way communication process(as cited in

Watson&Noble,2005,p.5).

Two-way symmetrical communication

Two-way symmetrical communication is an essential component to excellence in public

relations. It is described as engaging communication between two people where there is some

sort of negotiation going on so there is a “win-win” situation (Grunig et al, 1992). This methods

goal is to manage conflict and get a mutual understanding. Both parties discuss the situation

and try to negotiate solutions between the organization and the key publics.

Two-way communication also goes back to engagement in public relations. When two

individuals are conversing and receiving feedback, there is engagement. In order for public

relations excellence to happen, mutually beneficial relationships must be present. According to

Tom Watson & Paul Noble(2005), mutually beneficial relationships relates to a two-way

communication process in which the organizations act in the interests of both self and the

public’s with which it interacts(Watson and Noble,2005,p.5).

According to Mayfield (2008), social media is the means of allowing every interested

party to provide feedback through participation and engagement(as cited in Coman and

Paun,2010 p.46) . This case study is investigating whether social media is engaging in two-way


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symmetrical communication. If social media is considered a useful tool to the public officials,

then most likely it will be engaging as well.

Feedback

Communicators must get feedback in order to know how a receiver comprehends a

message .According to Joy Chia(2006), Feedback and interpretation of what is being

communicated in a relationship is integral to the relationship(Chia J.,2006 ,p.6). Feedback is a

response about what is happening within that relationship and allow each partner to adjust to

changes. Feedback facilitates the understanding of each individuals perspective(Chia J., 2006,

p.6).Feedback can produce several outcomes. According to Seitel(2011), it may change

attitudes, crystallize attitudes, create a wedge of doubt or do nothing at all (Seitel,2011 p.88).

In this study, the researcher is evaluating what feedback will be given from public officials.

Depending on what the feedback is, the influence of social media will be measured.

Generation members

This term refers to the generational factors that could influence the study’s results

depending on the age of the respondents. According to a study conducted by Tom Watson &

Paul Noble(2009),younger respondents were considerably more likely than older ones to not

only advocate greater use of social media in public relations but also to use social media and

other Internet-based technologies in their daily searches for news and information(Watson &

Noble,2009,p.22). According to Jane Jopling (2004) each generation has its own influences that

will determine its value system(Jopling, 2004 p.2) .

Social media may not be something that is utilized because a particular individual does

not see it as something of value perhaps, because of their experience or upbringing. For


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example, Generation Y values technology more than the traditionalist generation.

Traditionalists grew up in the time of the Great Depression when financially times were

extremely tough and technological advancements were not priority (Jopling,2004). They also

value face to face communication. Generation Y grew up in time of consistent technological

advancements (Jopling,2004). They are impressed by technology and they value it in their daily

endeavors.

Public opinion

According to Seitel(2011),public opinion should be split into two components, public

and opinion (Seitel,2011, p.88). Public is the people that have a common interest in a specific

subject. Opinion is the expression of an attitude on a particular topic. Attitudes lead to opinions

and those lead to verbal or behavioral actions when the opinion is strong enough (Seitel,2011,

p.96).

In this case study proposal, public opinions of the public officials are being measured to

analyze what they think regarding social media. Also the researcher is observing how the

Legislators view social media as a tool to measure the public opinion of their constituents. In

public relations, attitudes becomes more important when seeking to measure the overall

impact or effectiveness of public relations according, to Eyun-Jung Ki and Linda Hon(2007,p.4).

Hedgehog concept

According to Jim Collins(2002), in order for any company to go from “good to great”,

they must use and understand the hedgehog concept. This is a system of three overlapping

circles that challenges the individual to look at what they are best at, what they are passionate


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about and what drives them economically (Collins,2002,p.96). Regarding technology, such as

social media, this excellence will align with the hedgehog concept (Collins,2002). Meaning the

study must look at how social media will fit with what the company. Trendy Minds is passionate

about as well as well as whether they should it use it in public and governmental affairs.

The hedgehog concept is crucial to keeping discipline in the organization. The concept is

about doing their personal best, to have a passion and not to lose sight of what the company’s

strengths. This study should define how social media will or will not fit into this concept.

Control Paradigm

The idea of a control paradigm is to distort data to make it match your rules and

regulations on particular subject. The rules and regulations keep people from seeing what’s

there and block someone’s view from what could be possible. This can ultimately be a challenge

when a practitioner is stuck in their paradigm related to technology advancements.

Critical analysis suggests that relinquishing control is a much greater challenge for

practitioners and management groups in which they operate than adapting to new

technologies (Macnamara,2010,p.8). Individuals with control paradigms generally also believe

they can control the messages to which members of the public are exposed (Grunig J.,2009).

In order to achieve public relations excellence, it’s a good idea to create a new paradigm

and see all the possibilities for accomplishment. A type of paradigm that would be useful is the

strategic management paradigm. According to Grunig(2009), strategic management paradigm

emphasizes two-way communication and encourages the use of a number of media types and

fits them into a framework of research and listening(Grunig J. 2009, p.9). According to Coman


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and Pain(2005), it is their[public relations practitioner and the public sector] social

responsibility to embrace this [social media] change (Coman and Paun,2005, p.48).

Grunig(2009) quoted, “ The new digital media have dialogical, interactive, relational and

global properties that make them perfectly suited for a strategic management paradigm-

properties that one would think would force public relations practitioners to abandon their

traditional one-way, asymmetrical and ethnocentric paradigm of practice,”(Grunig,2009, p.6).

This study is looking at the respondents’ willingness to look past their own paradigms.

Research methodology

Research is an essential tool to public relations. It is also the pursuit of knowledge (Rugg,

Marian& Petre,2007).According to Stacks( 2002) research is the beginning of a process that

seeks to bring about a specific objective (p.4). Research is a more structured way to understand

outcomes. According to Stacks(2002),without the use of research the practitioner cannot assess

where a public relations program begins, how it evolves, or what the end product will be. In this

case the unknown research is the impact of social media on public officials .

According to Don Stacks PhD. (2002), research is used in many ways: to monitor and

track, measure and assess and finally evaluate public relations actions. In public relations

research, return on investment or evidence-based PR(Watson T.,2005). In this proposed study,

the researcher is measuring the influence of social media with public officials and assessing the

outcome. Measurement is an essential strategic tool that helps to effectively get messages

across (Paine,2007). The most ideal measurement for the researcher in this case is a survey.


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According to Katie Paine(2007) in PR, surveys are commonly used to determine if a

particular program changed opinions or awareness( Paine, 2007,p.30). In this study, the

researcher is using the survey to measure preference. According to Paine (2007), to determine

the impact of public relations outputs on audience preference, you need to expose the

audience to the specific output(Paine,2007,p.32). The output in this study would be exposing

the public officials to social media in Governmental Affairs.

Surveys can be conducted by phone, mail or online. In this study the researcher is going

to use an online survey because it is more time efficient and it will not require extreme

preparation. According to Paine(2007), online surveys are rapidly becoming the methodology of

choice because they are cheap and relatively easy to field (Paine,2007,p.30). Online surveys are

easy to program, fast, inexpensive and they target the selected audience. The limitation of

surveys are that they are only valid if all of your publics have access to a computer (Paine,2007).

An online survey will be ideal because the researcher needs to reach a larger

population, and is a very efficient way to measure qualitative research (Paine,2007). Qualitative

research is subjective, yet in depth, using probing, open-ended responses (Paine,2007). In

order for this survey to be helpful in the research, the questions need to be thorough and

extremely structured. Since, the researcher is going to be targeting public officials whom are on

a very strict schedule; the questionnaire is going to be very concise with no more than seven

questions.

The Sample

Since it is difficult to reach public officials on a personal basis an online survey will be a

good way to reach the population. Seeing that the researcher is short on time, generating a way


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to access a e-mail list would be ideal . In this proposed case study, the researcher looked at the

Indiana Government website and the most accessible list is the legislative list. The survey will go

out to the e-mail database of Legislators found on the Indiana government website.

The sample or the selected group are Indiana Legislators comprised of 100 members of

house and 50 senate (http://www.in.gov/legislative/index.htm). This will be a varying

demographic of men and women with several different generational memberships. A question

regarding their age will be in the survey at the end to determine if there is correlation to the

use of social media. The age question will strategically placed at the end in order to ensure the

survey will be answered and the respondent will not be offended. Using the Legislative list will

be ideal because it is readily available and will give the researcher a large enough sample from

which to analyze data. The sample also fits with the case study in that these individuals are

public officials.

Justification for Research Questions

Appendix A is the proposed questionnaire that will be used to get feedback from the

subjects. These structured questions will gather the essential information and reveal specific

opinions to answer the overarching research question and the sub-questions as well. Each

question is assembled to be very in depth but open-ended allowing for full and accurate

responses.

Data Collection Plan

The survey will be designed and executed through the online survey tool, Zoomerang.

This tool will allow for all answers to remain anonymous, allowing for the subjects to provide


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feedback in a secure environment. This site allows the researcher to view and analyze results

with ease.

The survey will consist of seven questions and will ask questions regarding, proficiency

with social media, frequency, how social media and the age of the respondents. The survey

questionnaire will be completely objective and will in no way impose any bias. This will prevent

from the results being swayed. The point of this survey is to get the most objective and honest

answer possible.

On Monday March 28, the researcher will send out an introductory e-mail will be sent

out. This e-mail will let the Representatives know of the survey in advance and what the

research will be used for. Using the “Dillman Approach”, the researcher will send out three

additional e-mails to maximize response level.

On the following Monday April 4, the survey will be sent out with instructions. The third

e-mail will be sent out on April 11, to follow-up, thank those that had responded and remind

those that had not responded of the deadline. The final e-mail will be sent out the following

Monday, April 18 to notify them of deadline on April 22. This e-mail will also explain to them

how important their response is for the study.

Survey Schedule

March 28 Advance E-mail: Explains study and importance

April 4 2nd E-mail: Survey is sent

April 11 3rd E-mail: Follow-up

April 18 Final E-mail: Reminder of deadline


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The responses of the survey will be recorded electronically on the (source) database for

the researcher to analyze. From here the researcher will compare the results.

Data Analysis Plan

Accumulating the data is only a small part of the overall integrated research process

according to Paine(2007). According to Grunig et al(1992) , when the research is done, the

purpose is to learn how to change unfavorable public opinions, to learn how to “position” the

organization so as to make it acceptable to publics, and to measure the success of such

persuasive efforts(p.95).From here the researcher must draw correct conclusions from the data

that will tie the study all together (Paine,2007). The findings will be analyzed by the researcher

to reveal the trends between social media and public officials.

This data will be further translated, allowing the researcher to answer the sub-questions

as well, as the overarching research question. The data will display outputs, outtakes and the

outcome(Paine,2007). Outcomes are achieved by increasing awareness, influencing attitudes

and changing behavior (Lawson,2006).

The output will look at how many respondents are paying attention to social media. The

outtakes will show what the respondents are taking away from social media. The outcome will

demonstrate how social media will be used in the future. The data will also allow for the

researcher to observe where areas of opportunity were missed (Paine, 2007). The outcome will

measure opinion, attitudes, and behavioral changes using the research (Watson T.,2005).

This study will also look at another key factor to successful public relations-relationships.

As stated by Walter Lindemann, “ As important as it can be for an organization to measure PR

outputs and outcomes, it is even more important for an organization to measure relationships,”


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(As cited in Watson & Noble 2005, p.185). The findings of this information will be used to make

future recommendations to the company Trendy Minds as well as future studies on social

media.


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Appendice A Social Media Survey

1)Please check any of the following types of Social Media you or your staff use:

A. Twitter B. Facebook C. Blog D. Linkedin E. Plaxo F. Other: ____________(please clarify)

2) Please rank the primary (1) and secondary (2) source of information you rely on to gauge public opinion on important issues and legislation

___Phone calls and messages

___Public opinion polls

___Letters from constituents

___Broadcast and print media

___Social media

___Face-to-face

3) Please indicate your frequency of social media use?

A. Multiple times a day B. Daily C. Weekly D. Not at all

4) Please identify your level of proficiency with social media:

A. Low B. Moderate C. High

5) Do you plan on utilizing Social Media for your next election campaign:

A. Yes B. No C. Undecided D. Unknown


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If “No”, why not?

A. See no benefit B. Will spend my campaign resources in other ways C. Most constituents don’t use it D. Too difficult to use E. Other:___________(please clarify)

6) What is your level of interest of social media in your role as an elected official?

A. Very interested B. Somewhat interested C. Not at all

7) Please identify range of age:

A. 25-45 B. 46-65 C. 65+

Thank you for your participation! It is much appreciated!

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