Mapping The MR-Sphere: 20 Research Blogs To Follow
This post serves two purposes. It’s a follow-up to my thoughts about the benefits of a “research blogosphere”, and it’s also a means of assuaging the particular guilt I feel about never having sorted a blogroll out for Blackbeard Blog. Hopefully I’ll be able to do something about this soon.
Meanwhile here are 20 research blogs I’m following at the moment - suggestions of more delightedly received, as I’m sure I’ve left out one or two obvious ones. I’ve tried to include blogs which are more or less purely about market research - so excellent blogs like Verbatim (community building), FreshNetworks (social media) and Further And Faster (planning) aren’t on the list despite having plenty of research content. And I’ve only included blogs in English - please help me out with suggestions, non-Anglophones.
UPDATED: I’ve now listed the Twitter names of each blogger at the end of the post - thanks to @harrisonma1 for this idea!
There’s also a real mix of styles and topics here, and I’ve tried to indicate each blog’s approach with a brief write-up. So, in no particular order:
Straight Talk With Nigel Hollis: Nigel is Millward Brown’s chief global analyst, and his site is probably the most-read research blog around at the moment. As you’d expect from MB, the focus is very much on branding but Hollis is also a staunch champion of research in general. Not on Twitter.
More Than Market Research: Tom H C Anderson’s blog about his “next gen market research” ideas (combining traditional tools with data mining and text analysis). For me, what makes the blog really valuable are its series of insightful interviews with research, marketing and digital thinkers. @tomhcanderson
The Future Place: The blog of Ray Poynter’s consultancy firm, the Future Place is one of the longest running research blogs and is increasingly taking an agenda-setting role when it comes to promoting social media and new methodologies in research. (For instance, “The Dawn of New MR”) @raypoynter
Voice Of Vovici: Many research firms run a blog these days - Vovici’s is definitely one of the better ones, focusing on practical tips and examinations of the nuts and bolts of survey work. @jhenning contributes a lot of the posts.
Zebra Bites: I don’t always agree with Katie Harris (of Australian qual agency Zebra) but her excellent posts invariably make me think - she’s a voice of realism and occasional provocation when it comes to the advance of ‘online qual’. @zebrabites
Curiously Persistent: Simon Kendrick’s blog has been a bit quieter since he started a new job at qual agency Essential, but its posts are worth waiting for - the blog name says it all about his open-minded approach. And his occasional lists of links to good articles are some of the best around. @curiouslyp
Research Reinvented: Synovate’s Emiel Van Wegen is one of the most active researchers on Twitter, which might account for the relative scarcity of blog posts - but his list of researchers who tweet played a huge part in shaping the nascent MR ‘twittersphere’. @emielvanwegen
Bad Research: No Biscuit: One of a handful of anonymous research bloggers, BR:NB specialises in bringing horrible online survey practises to our scandalised attention. @researchrant
Kumeugirl: A TNS qual researcher based in Asia, Kumeugirl writes involved, intelligent posts which tend to be studded with useful follow-up links. @kumeugirl
MROC Talk: Another agency blog, this time of Plugged In, who specialise in creating MROCs (Market Research Online Communities). As you’d expect, they’re pro new methodologies and write shrewd posts about working with them. @mattpluggedin
Lovestats: One of the friendliest and most good-natured blogs on the MR circuit, Annie Pettit’s LoveStats mixes solid advice on stats and quant research with quirkier material (like her “Ode To A Pie Chart”) @lovestats
Market Research Deathwatch: And just to show the tonal range of the MR-sphere, here’s its most evil-natured inhabitant, the anonymous MR Heretic - who takes a militant stance to warn the industry of its impending demise. The vitriol alone is worth a follow, but MR Heretic also makes consistently good points. @mrheretic
FreshMinds Research Blog: Another agency blog, but far more than just a way to pimp FreshMinds work - intelligent and rich posts on online culture, measurement, customer acquisition and more. Like Nigel Hollis, the writers tackle the business issues research is designed to shed light on as much as they write about research itself. Can’t find Twitter accts for the posters.
The Human Element: Qual researcher Alison Macleod’s blog is perhaps my personal favourite - not only are all her posts well-written and well-thought-out, she’s got an enviable knack of inspiring high quality comment box discussion too. @alisonmacleod
CRO-ing About Research: A blog by the ARF’s Chief Research Officer, Joel Rubinson, setting out his attempts to transform the research game by moving ‘listening’ to the centre of the discipline. Like Ray Poynter, he’s an agenda-setter for the New MR. @joelrubinson
Yellow Submarine Qual: They haven’t updated since March but I threw YSQ in here because quite a few people have recommended them. There’s a lot of insight and real charm in their rambling, complex and - here’s a rarity! - funny posts on qual and its issues. @cristi_popa
Modern Metrix: One of the research world’s better kept secrets, MMX specialises in analytics and metrics, posting frequent and interesting links to bring these potentially dry topics to life. @modernmetrix
Research Rockstar: I admit it, I am allergic to the usage “rockstar” applied to anyone other than some sweaty old giffer strutting round an arena wearing leathers. Kathryn Korostoff’s blog is a lot more substantial than the word suggests, though - she emphasises the practicalities of MR and she’s a passionate advocate of the profession. @researchrocks
The Better Research Blog: The Better Research Blog mixes research observations with industry commentary, which makes it feel more real-world and grounded than some of the theory- or tip-laden blogs out there (love those though I do! But there’s room for both approaches.) @mendelj2
Datasets: A new blog (and I hope its writer hasn’t become discouraged already, good new blogs are rare in any space) with posts on scales, statistics and the effects of research participation on behaviour. @BretIG
Like I say, there are surely many more out there - if I’ve left you or a blog you read out, let me know and I can put together a follow up list.
And, naturally, I think you should include my blog on your subscription lists if you don’t already!
