If you use the PAS database now you get this distracting little header "Can you help with our survey?"The Portable Antiquities Scheme Central Unit is conducting a survey to help us understand our audiences and their interaction with the PAS and database a bit better. This will be very helpful in developing the PASt Explorers project to expand our volunteer base and reach new audiences, for which we are currently seeking funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund [...].And the response on a metal detecting forum near you says everything about both the motivation and the end result of those taking part in the PAS survey. Liamnolan (Re: PAS Survey, Mon Jan 27, 2014 10:42 pm) writes (my emphasis, smiley omitted):
Lets not get sidetracked, this topic is about completing the survey. Discussion on the service delivery [sic!!] of the PAS staff can be carried on within the General Chat section [...].Member "Dirt-fishing" (Mon Jan 27, 2014 10:51 pm) agrees:
Well said... Lets get this survey filled in and all show our interest in the success of the PAS...!Except all the evidence from the forums indicates that the dullards don't quite seem to have got it that this is not what this survey is about.
You see, "The PAS Central Unit is conducting a survey..." is already eight words. If the press office had only omitted those two unnecessary words "central Unit", perhaps at least one tekkie reading beyond the eight-word limit which it would seem is most that many of them can manage, and spotting the beginning of the clause "to help", might have made the special effort to soldier on to the end of the sentence. Then he could report back to his "M8s" (with of course lots of frantically moving emoticons to attract and hold their attention) what the survey is really about. But, after fifteen years it seems the PAS still does not know how most effectively to liaise with their partners, keep it slow and low, short and simple.
UPDATE 29th Jan 2014
I'm hearing the explanation that the poor souls were confused by two different messages with different wording, although the meaning of both is the same, the PAS should have known that this would confuse certain segments of its audience. Slow and low, short, simple and repetitively.
Vignette: PAS attempting to get an all-round view?
4 comments:
Reason five, Mr Baines and Mr Peters.
The correct response is, "yes there seems to be a discrepancy between what the PAS say they want from the Survey and what most of my metal detecting fellows seem to think it's about, I'll try and let them know".
Thanks
Hi Paul...
Curious that there is different wording in your explanation of the purpose of the survey and that shown via the link on the MD forum.
The survey seems relevant though as we interact with the PAS.
Really? What it says at ....
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1QeG2osKViUntV18qtidfbAtSCKew3ika5-7DgRq6hqs/viewform
....was discussed by me in an earlier post, where I look at the questions asked. The phrasing is: "help in building a better understanding of our audiences and their interaction with the PAS. The responses from this survey will be used to help us develop a project proposal which partly aims to help us reach new audiences".
at the top of each database record it currently says:
"The Portable Antiquities Scheme Central Unit is conducting a survey to help us understand our audiences and their interaction with the PAS and database a bit better. This will be very helpful in developing the PASt Explorers project to expand our volunteer base and reach new audiences, for which we are currently seeking funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. "
The wording IS different, granted, the PAS should have realised that this would confuse certain segments of its audience. The meaning however is the same and seems pretty clear to me.
The survey is not for measuring "interest in the success" of the PAS but how people found out about it, how they use it.
Actually, it's a survey worthy of being studied in academic quarters concerned with polling: most unusually, both the questioners and the respondents have a vested interest in the responses being positive.
But that's also true of PAS in general - and it works both ways. Both PAS and detectorists have a vested interest in metal detecting being seen as spiffing! Hence the eccentric stats, the gaps and the hero-talk!
Post a Comment