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ASSIGNMENT On Effect of social media on consumer behavior

M.B.A SEM 1 DIVISION - A
SUBMITED TO : - Prof. Jayesh patel SUBMITTED BY :1) Chitra acharya (1) 2) Komal bhatt (11)
ST

DATE: - 12th, October, 2013

V. M. Patel Institute of Management

PREFACE
The key for achievement your goals in life is to work with enthusiasm and you should have burning desire to learn, to explore, to experience and face challenge in life with positive attitude.

I am the student of MBA. As a part of curriculum of subject marketing research methodology I have read many books and search from the internet and get many resources to prepare our report. Also questionnaire for analysis of Resources, capabilities entrepreneurial perception.

In writing this report we have drawn vast amount of the information, data from the various senior persons and simultaneously support by various other people. It gave us an edge for improving our management knowledge and writing skills and to learn various aspects.

Chitra Acharya (1) Komal Bhatt (11)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It was indeed an opportunity for us prepared report on the same during our MBA program, first sem. Research design management subject.

Preparation such kind of report, requires lots of searching and collecting of data from many sources like internet, books, and other people. I also thankful to outside support like to questionnaire and given me their valuable time. During the preparation of this report have read many books and search from the internet. Also I have taken help from our senior students. We are very glade to prepare this kind of report.

I would like to thank Mr. Jayesh patel, ass.prof. , who took adequate care & effort in searching books, magazines, journals, etc. so that we could complete our project smoothly and well in stipulated timeframe.

Last but not the least: I would like to cite our beloved parents and all my friends for their and encouragement, support and blessings. These pages could scarcely have been written without their help.

I express our gratitude to the staff members of V.M. Patel Institute of Management, who directly or indirectly helped us.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Our project effects of social media on consumer behavior was done so as to understand the use and effect of social media in developed and developing countries. Through this project we tried to understand the history of social media. In this project there is different definition of social media by different authors. Social media in developed and developing countries has been also explained that in US Facebook is the top social network in terms of the number of unique users.49% of the population, and 64% of the online population uses the site (socialbakers.com). 49%of facebook users are aged between 18 and 34. And in India Facebook is the top social network and is growing rapidly. The sites membership increase by 166% between May2010 and June 2011. There is review of Literature and author and title used in this project. we have discussed about research methods , objectives that Determining different types of respondents, based on their online activities. and hypothesis related to social media that Social media is the in-thing these days. Educators are not aware of its importance. The youth nowadays is not aware of its educational use. Students look out for more innovative ways of teaching. Social media can be used for various educational purposes. And also discussed about the data collection, instrument used and research design and also about sampling. Scaling has been also explained in this. Figure 3.6 and 3.7 explains the Concepts relationship tested target variable and Effects exhibited for the proposed model in studying the target variable.

INDEX
Chapter Particular Preface Acknowledgement Executive summary Introduction Definition of social media Social media and developed countries Social media and developing countries Purpose and objective of social media Summary Review of literature The development of social media marketing Segmentation of social media users Summary Research method Research context Hypothesis of the study Measurement and research instrument Reliability statistic for construct measures Data collection and sampling Concept relationship tested and target variable Effect of studying target variable Summary Conclusion Bibliography Page no. 2 3 4 6

1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 3 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8

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INTRODUCTION:

1.1 Definitions of social media Social media consists of various user-driven channels (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube). These channels represent a stark difference from the advertiser-driven (outbound marketing) push model. As the principal owner of the customer relationship in the firm, typically, the marketing department is responsible for managing these social media channels. Although some may argue that the customer relationship is everyones responsibility in the firm, the overarching responsibility rests with the marketing department as the champion for the customer. - Cheryl Burgess Social media is todays most transparent, engaging and interactive form of public relations. It combines the true grit of real time content with the beauty of authentic peer-to-peer communication. -Lisa Buyer Social media is not about what each one of us does or says, but about what we do and say together, worldwide, to communicate in all directions at any time, by any possible (digital) means. -Michelle Chmielewski Social media broadly defined consists of any online platform or channel for user generated content. By this definition, for example, WordPress, Sharepoint, and Lithium qualify as social media, as do YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Social media more narrowly defined includes only channels for user-generated content, as distinguished from platforms, which are referred to

as social technologies. By this definition, for example, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter are social media, and WordPress, Sharepoint and Lithium are social technologies. -Joe Cothrel Social media is digital content and interaction that is created by and between people. -Sam Decker Social media is a shift in how we get our information. It used to be that we would wait for the paper boy to throw our news on the doorstep (or into the flowers) and wed read the paper, front to back, with our morning coffee before going to work. Now we get information, 24/7 and on the fly, from anywhere. In the more traditional senses, online, on our phones, and through the social platforms. Social media allows us to network, to find people with like interests, and to meet people who can become friends or customers. It flattens out the world and gives us access to people we never would have been able to meet otherwise. - Gini Dietrich Markets have become conversations. Social media are the online platforms and locations that provide a way for people to participate in these conversations. For individuals it is a way to connect and share content with friends and like-minded people. For businesses its a way to tap into what people are saying about your brand, your product and/or your service, participate in the conversations, be open to new ideas and then use these insights to make better business decisions. -Sally Falkow Social media is the tools, services, and communication facilitating connection between peers with common interests. -Chris Garrett Social media are the online technologies and practices that people use to share content, opinions, insights, experiences, perspectives, and media themselves. They are media for social

interaction.You can tell social software because it is no fun to use by yourself an account with no friends connected has no value. -Howard Greenstein Social media is an ever-growing and evolving collection of online tools and toys, platforms and applications that enable all of us to interact with and share information. Increasingly, its both the connective tissue and neural net of the Web. -Ann Handley Social media is a reflection of conversations happening every day, whether at the supermarket, a bar, the train, the water cooler or the playground. It just allows for those conversations to reach a broader audience due to digital being a megaphone for scale. -Sarah Hofstetter

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1.2 Social media in Developed countries: Social Media platforms in US: Facebook is the top social network in terms of the number of unique users.49% of the population, and 64% of the online population uses the site (socialbakers.com). 49%of facebook users are aged between 18 and 34. Pew researcher center, 13% of Americans online use Twitter . 18% of 18-29 year olds online use the microbloggings service, up from 9% in November 2010. Classmate.com is a site where people can find lost friends.

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Social Media platforms in UK: The UK has the fourth highest number of facebook users in the world. 58% of the online population uses the site( socialbakers.com). 50% of users are aged between 18 and 34. You Tube accounts for around 20% of visit to social networking sites in the UK . The UK ranks third in Europe for the number of online videos watched per viewer. Almost 15% of the online population (aged 15+) are on linkedin.com. The majority of users of the site are aged 25+ and they are more likely to be in 30k+ income bracket (linkhumans.com).

Social Media platforms in Canada: In October 2010, 50% of people in Canada used Facebook.29% of Canadian Facebook users were aged 18-24 years . LinkedIn was one of the Canada fastest growing social media platforms in 2010,with 35% increase in unique visitors. Older Canadians are becoming increasingly engaged with social media ,with a 35% increase in unique visitors aged 55+ in 2010. In February 2011, 67% of Canada total population viewed more than 5.1 billion videos online , with the average viewer watching 232 videos . 18% of people in Canada used Twitter in April 2011, with English speaking users averaging 33.4 hours online a week and Franco phones 23.8 hours.

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1.3 Social media in Developing countries:

Social Media platforms in china: Ozone is hugely popular nick name based social networking site. According to Bshare Members of the social network are more likely to share content then users of any other site. Peng you, (meaning friends in English) is a real-name social networking site .It competes with RenRen, other real name related to facebook .Brand campaigns and Facebook pages are not free to companies wishing to use RenRen for PR and marketing. 51.com is one of the oldest Chinese social networking sites, which is popular outside of the major cities. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Fouesquare and most recently Google+ have been blocked in China .Chinese equivalent of these sites are favoured. Tencent Weibo and Sina Weibo are microblogging sites. Whilst Tencent Weibo had more users on paper, Sina Weibo is seen to more popular, with higher account usage rates . Sina account for 87% of page views in microblogging market.

Social Media platforms in India: Facebook is the top social network and is growing rapidly. The sites membership increase by 166% between May2010 and June 2011. LinkedIn launched in India in 2009, and by June 2011 had grown its subscriber base to 10 million. The site is particular popular with younger professionals. In May 2011, 40% of Orkuts 100 million active users were based in India. Its popularity is waning, however, as Facebook becomes more prevalent.

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Bharatstudent.com, Indias largest student and youth community platform has recently joined forces with Facebook. Facebook accounts will be integrated into bharatstudent.com in an effort to boost the number of users.

1.4 Purpose and Objectives of the social media:

Social media as media for interaction, using highly accessible and scalable communication techniques. Social media is the use of web based and mobiles techniques to turn communication into interactive dialogue We define social network sites as web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site What makes social network sites unique is not that they allow individuals to meet strangers, but rather that they enable users to articulate and make visible their social networks While SNSs have implemented a wide variety of technical features, their backbone consists of visible profiles that display an articulated list of Friends who are also users of the system The public display of connections is a crucial component of SNSs. Beyond profiles, friends SNSs vary greatly in their features and user base Some have photo-sharing or video-sharing capabilities; others have built-in blogging and instant messaging technology.The Internet has distinct characteristics such as:

- The ability to inexpensively store vast amounts of information at different virtual locations - The availability of powerful and inexpensive means of searching, organizing, and disseminating such information - Interactivity and the ability to provide information on demand - The ability to serve as a transaction medium - The ability to serve as a physical distribution medium for certain goods (e.g. software)

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- Relatively low entry and establishment costs for sellers. One of the advantages of internet is that it enables businesses to reach a worldwide customer population, so that customers can survey, select, and purchase products and services from businesses around the world. In particular, peer communication through social media, a new form of consumer socialization, has profound impacts on consumer decision making and thus marketing strategies. Consumer socialization theory predicts that communication among consumers affects their cognitive, affective, and behavioral attitudes. Social media, especially social networking sites, provide a virtual space for people to communicate through the Internet, which also might be an important agent of consumer socialization. With this research we provide insights to the social media literature and online consumer behavior, in general, and online socializing and interacting activities users engage with on a virtual platform, which are interesting for both academics and online marketing practitioners. This paper provides a literature review of the evolution of social media marketing and segmentation of social media users from prominent papers, and continues with a primary research. The aim of this research is to empirically investigate what type of social media users appreciate and have a positive outlook regarding advertising on social networking websites. Particularly, we consider a segmentation of social media users regarding their perceived importance of using social media, and these social media users represent students of Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania. The responses that will be further explored were gathered through field research, namely the information was collected directly from respondents via the internet, from September 17 to November 18, 2011. Finally, in the last section of the paper, we provide the contributions of the research, the managerial implications, and limitations of the research.

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1.5 Summary:
As we have noticed that Social media is an ever-growing and evolving collection of online tools. They are media for social interaction. You can tell social software because it is no fun to use by yourself an account with no friends connected has no value. for example, WordPress, Sharepoint, and Lithium qualify as social media, as do YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Social media more narrowly defined includes only channels for user-generated content, as distinguished from platforms, which are referred to as social technologies. By this definition, for example, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter are social media, and WordPress, Sharepoint and Lithium are social technologies. Social media is digital content and interaction that is created by and between people. We have also seen the use of social media in different developed and developing countries like in US, Facebook is the top social network in terms of the number of unique users while in China Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Fouesquare and most recently Google+ have been blocked in China .Chinese equivalent of these sites are favoured. UK has the fourth highest number of facebook users in the world while India is growing rapidly. Purpose for this study is to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site. One of the advantages of internet is that it enables businesses to reach a worldwide customer population, so that customers can survey, select, and purchase products and services from businesses around the world. In particular, peer communication through social media, a new form of consumer socialization, has profound impacts on consumer decision making and thus marketing strategies. Consumer socialization theory predicts that communication among consumers affects their cognitive, affective, and behavioral attitudes.

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2. Review of literature:
2.1 The Development of Social Media Marketing

In recent years, social networking sites and social media have increased in popularity, at a global level. For instance, Facebook is said to have more than a billion active users (as of 2012) since its beginning in 2004 (www.facebook.com). Social networking sites can be described as networks of friends for social or professional interactions. Indeed, online social networks have profoundly changed the propagation of information by making it incredibly easy to share and digest information on the internet .The unique aspects of social media and its immense popularity have revolutionized marketing practices such as advertising and promotion. Social media has also influenced consumer behavior from information acquisition to post-purchase behavior such as dissatisfaction statements or behaviors and patterns of Internet usage .Social media is a group of internet based applications that builds on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and it allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content . Other functions of social media involve affecting and influencing perceptions, attitudes and end behavior, while bringing together different like-minded people. In an online environment, Laroche (2012) pointed out that people like the idea of contributing, creating, and joining communities to fulfill needs of belongingness, being socially connected and recognized or simply enjoying interactions with other like-minded members. The much higher level of efficiency of social media compared to other traditional communication channels prompted industry leaders to state that companies must participate in Facebook Twitter, MySpace, and others, in order to succeed in online environments. Thus, more industries try to benefit from social media as they can be used to develop strategy, accept their roles in managing others strategy or follow others directions. Social media websites provide an opportunity for companies to engage and interact with potential and current consumers, to encourage an increased sense of intimacy of the customer relationship, and build all important meaningful relationships with consumers especially in todays business environment when consumer loyalty can vanish at the smallest mistake, which can additionally have online propagation of their unfortunate encounter with a particular product, service, brand or company. Some companies are beginning to take notice of the power of social media. A few corporate social networking

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websites already allow consumers to not only exchange information about products or services, but also engage in co-creating value in online experiences with offline outcomes, with both current and potential consumers.

2.2 Segmentation of Social Media Users Following the general idea that segmentation can leverage a better understanding of consumers behavior, and therefore a better targeting, in order to obtain the desired effect of any marketing activity, several studies have been employed to achieve a segmentation of consumers who interact online, particularly to examine their online shopping behavior. Vellido et al. (1999) investigated consumers opinion on online purchasing and online vendors that seem to consist of the underlying dimensions control and convenience, trust and security, affordability, ease of use, and effort/responsiveness. Using these dimensions as a segmentation base discerns seven segments: unconvinced, security conscious, undecided, convinced, complexity avoiders, cost conscious, and customer service wary. Starting from consumers motivations to use the Internet, McDonald (1996) segmented the Internet audience as avid adventurers, fact collectors, entertainment seekers, and social shoppers. Also, Brengman et al. (2005) performed a cluster analysis based on seven factors, such as Internet convenience perceived self-inefficacy, Internet logistics, Internet distrust, Internet offer, Internet window-shopping.

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TITLE 1. Media as social institution 2. Social media as powerful tool 3. Media- Representation as CSR 4. 5. Media use Relation between media and perceived social support 6. Money-going to social media 7. Social media global market 8. Social media and media sensationalism 9.

AUTHOR Silverblatt

YEAR 2004

Lombardi , Glenn

2013

Zhang, Juyan , Swanson , Don Kim, Sei-hill Sarriera, Jorge, Castella

2006

2007 2012

Leitch, Danieele, Collins

2010

Wittenberg , Leon

2009

Reisenwitz , Timothyh

1999

Perception and perceived Tench , Ralph , Bowd , social media Ryan Simona Vinerean, Iuliana Cetina, Luigi Dumitrescu & Mihai Tichindelean

2007

10.

The Effects of Social Media

2013

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2.3 Summary:
In this review of Literature we have discuss that in recent years, social networking sites and social media have increased in popularity, at a global level. For instance, Facebook is said to have more than a billion active users (as of 2012) since its beginning in 2004 (www.facebook.com). Social networking sites can be described as networks of friends for social or professional interactions. A few corporate social networking websites already allow consumers to not only exchange information about products or services, but also engage in co-creating value in online experiences with offline outcomes, with both current and potential consumers. And the title , author and year from which we have research .

3. Research Method:
3.1 Research Context The present research starts with the problem definition, and in this case, it refers to a detailed understanding of the customers perception and customs regarding the usage of social media, namely how the students of Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu engage on social networking sites. Furthermore, the objectives and the hypotheses were established, as follows:

3.2 Hypothesis of the study

Objective 1: Determining different types of respondents, based on their online activities. Hypothesis 1: At least three types of different users of social media will be identified. Objective 2: Determining different segments of respondents. Hypothesis 2: At least three clusters of different users of social media will be identified. Objective 3: Develop a linear model for studying the impact upon positive reaction to online advertisements Hypothesis 3: Social media user classification has a great impact in forming a favorable opinion for online ads.

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3.3 Measurement and Research Instrument

Data collection was achieved by using an online consumer survey. The data was collected with an online survey targeted at the students of Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu studying for a Bachelor, Master or Ph.D. Degree. A short description of the survey and a link-address was posted on the discussion board of the Universitys website. All measurement items were newly formed and were aimed at studying students behavior and reactions on social media websites in order to provide a better understanding of their interactions in an online environment. Table 1 provides the psychometric properties of the measures. Considering the fact that the scale items were newly compiled, we measured the reliability of the scales used to evaluate the internal consistency of the constructs. Reliability is identified by Cronbachs alpha with a minimum of 0.70. 3.4 Reliability statistics for the construct measures

Dimension

Scale items

Measurement of scale

General social media activities

Voting on various sites

1:__:__:__:__:__:__:__:__:__: 9

Adding labels or tags to photos online Contributing to online forums and discussion groups Using the RSS feeds service Contributing or editing wiki articles Posting of reviews and rating on various products/ services Adding comments to various blog posts Adding comments to other peoples social media profiles Uploading videos on YouTube, Vimeo, etc

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Social media Activities performed on

Watching a video online (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) Downloading music Reading blogs Updating personal blog Updating personal Twitter account Updating Profile on other social networks

1:__:__:__:__:__:__:__:__:__:9

respondents last visit

Reading reviews and ratings for certain products/service

Trust in Information from personal sources

Friends and connections Family

Very low trust level 1:__::__::__::__::__: 5 very high trust level

Trust in Information from foreign sources

Community moderators Brands profiles

Very low trust level 1:__::__::__::__::__: 5 very high trust level

Positive reaction to Online advertisement

The ads that appear on my profile are relevant for my personal interests and I enjoy seeing them Quite often

Strongly Agree Agree Indifferent Disagree Strongly Disagree

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Experience Using social Media

For how long have you been using social media website

1 6 months 6 months 1 year 1-2 years 2-3 years More than 3 years

Clicking the ad

How many times did you take action based on an advert you saw on social media (in terms of accessing the site or buying the product)?

Often A few times Never

Log in pattern

How would you describe your log in pattern on social media sites ?

Always connected Several times a day Every three days Once a week Occasionally

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Time spent per login session

On average, how much time do you spend per session on social media sites?

Less than 5 minutes 5 - 15 minutes 16 29 minutes 30-60minutes

More than 61 minutes

Concern for Privacy

I do experience concern regarding the confidentiality and privacy of my personal information.

Strongly Agree Agree Indifferent Disagree Strongly Disagree

Importance of social media .

How important do you think social media is for your social life?

important Important Indifferent Somewhat not important not important at all.

3.5 Data Collection and Sampling

This study implied a primary research which involved getting original data by conducting a field research. In this case, the information was collected directly from respondents via the internet, from September 17 to November 18, 2011, and the data analysis is quantitative Also, this paper is based on an exploratory research whose primary objective is to provide insights into a marketing phenomenon, namely students pattern of using social media and social networking sites, and particularly in relation to their reaction to advertising in a medium where they decide and choose the information they engage with. The responses were collected from students from Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, a higher education institution in Romania. As a sampling technique, we used the convenience sampling technique which implies a non-probability

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sampling. The sample size was represented by students of the Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania in the following proportions: 26.69% (Bachelor degree, first year of study), 18.22% (Bachelor degree, second year of study), 31.36% (Bachelor degree, third year of study), 7.2% (Master degree, first year of study),15.25% (Master degree, second year of study), 0.42% (Ph.D. degree, first year of study) and 0.85% (Ph.D. degree, second year of study). The sample size was computed by the formula n= z2*s2 / e2, where z is a known tabular value for a specific level of significance, s represents the sample standard deviation of the selection variable (number of students by their year of study and study cycle) and e is the standard error. A confidence level of 95% was chosen, therefore the z0.95 is 1.96 and the sample standard deviation is s = 28.65 students by their year of study and study cycle. The chosen sampling standard error is e = 3.66 students by their year of study and study cycle. By applying the formula, we have determined a sample size of n = 235.51 = 236 students. The sampling process was executed by applying an online questionnaire to 236 students .

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[3.6 Concepts relationship tested target variable]

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[3.7 Effects exhibited for the proposed model in studying the target variable]

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3.8 Summary:
In this chapter 3 we have discussed about research methods , objectives that Determining different types of respondents, based on their online activities. and hypothesis related to social media that Social media is the in-thing these days. Educators are not aware of its importance. The youth nowadays is not aware of its educational use. Students look out for more innovative ways of teaching. Social media can be used for various educational purposes. And also discussed about the data collection, instrument used and research design and also about sampling. Scaling has been also explained in this. Figure 3.6 and 3.7 explains the Concepts relationship tested target variable and Effects exhibited for the proposed model in studying the target variable.

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CONCLUSION:
Social media is an ever-growing and evolving collection of online tools. They are media for social interaction. You can tell social software because it is no fun to use by yourself an account with no friends connected has no value. for example, WordPress, Sharepoint, and Lithium qualify as social media, as do YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Social media more narrowly defined includes only channels for user-generated content, as distinguished from platforms, which are referred to as social technologies A few corporate social networking websites already allow consumers to not only exchange information about products or services, but also engage in co-creating value in online experiences with offline outcomes, with both current and potential consumers.

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Questionnaire:
This questionnaire is a part of the research for a master dissertation related to social networking in educational sector. The results of this survey will be used for academic purposes only. The survey is anonymous and does not require any personal details to be submitted. Estimated time for this questionnaire completion is 5-7 minutes. Aggregated research data will be available for you upon survey completion. The research team greatly appreciates your help and support with this research and thanks you for your valuable contribution! Get Started!

1. Your gender: Male Female

2. Your age: 18-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 More than 35

3. Your country:

4. You are... a undergraduate student a postgraduate student a recent graduate

5. Area of your studies :

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6. Average hours of active Internet use per day (please enter number):

7. Do you have your profile on any the following social networking services (multiple choice) Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Xing Bebo Friendster Youtube Orkut Livejournal Blogger.com Myspace Flikr Vkontakte Odnoklassniki

8. If you are NOT participating with any of social networking websites, what is the main reason why? I dont have time It is not interesting for me I do not want any publicity It is against my religion Other (please specify)

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9. How many connections (Friends) you have for your SNs profile (on average): Less than 10 10-49 50 99 100+ 200+

10. How many communities/groups are you a member of? None Up to 10 11-50 51+

11. How often do you usually log on to your favourite service(s)? Im constantly logged on Several times a day Once in a few days Once a week Occasionally (less than once week)

12. How much time (on average) do you spend on your favourite social networking site(s) per session? Less than 5 minutes 5-10 minutes 11-30 minutes 30+ minutes

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13. Please rate from 1 to 5 how often do you use SN services to: 5 this is my 1 do not use 2 use very 3 use quite rarely often 4 use often primary way to use these services Find some information Get opinions Entertain yourself Socialize Stay up-to-date with friends life Share your experience Get freebees

14. What is the key reason(s) for you to join a community/group in a social networking service? It is a relevant, active and interesting community This will let me stay up-to-date with the community news/updates I believe this will help me to get new useful connections I would like to have my say and a membership is required Other (please specify

15. How often do you participate in professional communities discussions? Im a community moderator/group officer Im an active participant in terms of comments and discussion topics starting Im rather a reader than an active commenter I do not participate in discussions, just watch communities for updates

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Other (please specify)

16. How often do you check communities for updates? Daily Im subscribed to RSS/have a feed on my profile Several times a week - while visiting discussions interesting for me Once a week - as I receive a weekly activity summary Less than once a week

17. Do you trust information obtained via professional communities? Yes Yes if it comes from my friends/connections Yes if comes from communities moderators Yes if it comes from company official representatives No, Im always critical to such kind of information and check other sources Other (please specify)

18. Are you a member of any groups/communities related to your college/uni? Yes, unofficial student groups Yes, official college/uni profile (page) Yes, alumni section No I dont know that my college/uni has a profile on any of the networks

19. Would you like to highlight your relationship to your college/uni at your SN profile (s)?

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Yes, I list my college/uni as a place where I am studying/studied No, Im not highlighting my place of studies

20. In the last three visits, did you notice any advertising on social networking websites? Yes No

21. If you answered NO to the previous question - What is the primary reason(s) you skip the ads messages? (please skip this question if you answered YES to the above one) It is not always clear the message is an ad It is in the same colour as non-ads messages It is not in a visible part of the screen on my profile Im so used to it I no longer look at the place where it is always placed Its completely irrelevant all the time, I no longer notice it I use a paid account to avoid ads Other (please specify)

22. Can you consider ads that you see on your profile relevant to your interests? Yes, most of the time Occasionally No, never

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23. How often do you click on the ads you see on your profile? Often Rarely Occasionally Almost never

24. What is the main reason that makes you click an ad? It is relevant to what I want/interested in Im intrigued by a hint in a promotion I can get anything FREE I recognize the brand/company/product Im attracted by a celebrity on an ad Other (please specify)

25. Do you trust information you obtain via social networking websites? Yes Yes if it comes from my friends/connections Yes if comes from professional communities Yes if it comes from company official profiles/pages No, Im always critical to such kind of information and check other sources

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Book: Malhotra, n. marketing research .personal education Websites: www.socialmedia.com www.proquest.com