Lately I’ve been exploring the issue of what is and is not “appropriate” on a business site or blog – but only anecdotally. I decided to get a broader perspective on how others view this issue.
More about this survey (which is now closed…
(UPDATE Sept. 3, 2005: Here are the final survey results. I also published the write-in responses and my observations on the results.)
NOTE: THIS SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED. Thanks to the 176 people who participated.
All questions were optional.
THIS IS NOT SCIENTIFIC: If you write about this survey, please consider it informal. Respondents are an entirely self-selected group. That said, I’m hoping this might still shed some light on this issue and generate some useful discussion.
THE SURVEY RESULTS WILL BE COMPLETELY PUBLIC. If you choose to take this survey, expect that anything you include in your responses (include your identity, if provided) will be published. E-mail addresses are the only contributed info I will not publish.
If you wish to communicate something to me confidentially on this topic, please do so via e-mail.
PLEASE BE HONEST. This survey might make you uncomfortable because it treads on sensitive ground: aspects of society and social interaction which generally aren’t openly acknowledged or discussed. That might make you hesitate to be honest. But please be honest.
I’m deliberately trying to probe the hidden motives that led to the tradition of total separation of professional and personal information in the first place – and whether those concerns remain valid today, especially online. Also, I’m curious whether the traditional “Berlin Wall” between professional and personal information is absolute, or whether in reality it focuses on specific types of disclosures.
Respondent were free to remain anonymous. I hoped that allowed them to be completely honest – especially about uncomfortable questions.
EVERY ONE OF YOUR ANSWERS SHOULD SPEAK FOR ITSELF. I love SurveyMonkey, it’s a great tool. However, one shortcoming of using the free version is that I cannot view answers by respondent. Only aggregate reporting (total, and in list form)
That is, I can see that Jane Doe took this survey, as long as she chooses to identify herself in the final survey question. However, I cannot tell for certain how Jane responded to any of the other survey questions – I can only guess about that. For instance, if 55 people responded to, say, question 4, I can see the numerical breakdown of responses (including responses written into the “other” field), and how many people skipped that question – but I can’t specifically tie any of those responses or non-responses in that question to Jane.
Also, this means that if you decided to answer a question with “See my response to question 2,” I’ll have to guess about which response was yours. So for clarity, it’s best to answer each question independently of all your other responses.
UPDATE AUG. 11: I was just exploring Surveymonkey and discovered that they do allow me to view an individual respondent’s answers. So yes, I can see who wrote what, for the respondents who chose to leave identifying information.
FULL DISCLOSURE: My own opinion on this issue is that we’re all human, and it’s futile to try to ignore or disguise that fact – especially online. I also think that the “Berlin Wall” that’s become commonplace between our business and personal selves has reached a level of dissonance. It’s starting to do more harm than good – to business, society, and individuals. It also helps maintain the marginal status of various communities or minorities.
I’m not saying we should broadcast every aspect of our personal lives indiscriminately. However, I do think that individuals should be free to choose their own level of disclosure, and not have to encounter vast amounts of reflexive, automatic criticism or ostracism for it.
That is my personal view. I respect an am open to hearing other perspectives, even from people who vehemently disagree with me.
I realize that not everyone shares my views – and indeed I may represent a very small minority. This is exactly why I decided to offer this survey – and why I hope you’ll recommend it to your friends and colleagues. I’d really like to see a diversity of opinions. I’m open to what anyone has to say on this topic.
Thanks!
UPDATE 5pm MDT, Aug. 9, 2005: I just realized that I forgot to add the “disinterested” option to several questions. This was an error on my part. I’ve just corrected it – but I had to create a new version of the survey to do it. The content is identical except that the “disinterested” option is present in every question where it’s applicable.
Unfortunately this means that “disinterested” responses probably are under-reported in the first 30 responses, as well as any subsequent responses that come in to the original version of this survey. (I have to leave the original online, since other people are linking to it now, too.)
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