Hogs Haven
Over the years that I have been developing the Reacts surveys and publishing their results, I’ve found a few things to be consistent about the process.
Firstly, in choosing the topic(s) from week to week, I need to pick something topical, but also something that will still be of as much interest on Saturday when the results are published as it was on Tuesday or Wednesday when the questions were first posed. For example, it’s probably not a good idea to give a list of names and ask which guy should be hired to a coordinator position if the decision might be announced on Thursday, and also probably a bad idea to ask if a player should be released if the decision could be made on Tuesday afternoon.
Secondly, choices need to be clear and not over-explained. Binary choices are best; if ratings need to be used, the levels should be clearly differentiated with a few words of explanation. Nothing derails a survey like a set of answers that don’t make sense to the respondents. When I’ve written bad questions in the past, I have sometimes abandoned the results and simply written about something else when it came time to publish the Saturday article.
Thirdly, I’ve learned that the best questions don’t really need any framing when the survey is published. For example, last week I asked for confidence in Dan Quinn and Adam Peters to be rated. I didn’t have to recap their two-year history with the team because those histories have been heavily documented. Respondents know a lot about them and often have deeply held beliefs. But there are times when framing is necessary, or at least helpful. For example, early in the season, I asked which of three running backs should get the most snaps in the coming game, and in the survey article, I provided snaps and stats for the 3 players to allow respondents to make an informed choice. Likewise, if I want to ask whether a player should be signed to an extension, I will almost certainly provide not only the player’s relevant statistics but also some digestible salary cap details so that the cap ramifications can be factored into the answer.
Finally, I have reached a point where I generally know before I ask the question what the results are likely to be. I often comment, when writing and publishing the results article, on whether the results were a bit more positive or negative than I had expected, but I am seldom totally surprised at the results.
In this week’s survey, I stayed away from the search for a new defensive coordinator, which, in any case, I asked about two weeks ago, since we could have gotten an announcement at any time.
I still stayed with the coaching staff, however, asking you to rate two of the decision that have already been announced: the promotions of David Blough an Darnell Stapleton to fill the previously vacant position of offensive coordinator and offensive line...
