Boosting Signal [fandom related]
Please do yourself a favour and do not take the fanfiction survey that is going around, being done by two guys who are claiming affiliation with Boston University.
The long version (excellent read) is here, and covers all the reasons why these people have no idea what they're doing and are using frankly sketchy data gathering techniques, but the short version:
1) They are attempting to other people with kinks in general and fandom in specific (the title of their book-to-be is apparently RULE 34: WHAT NETPORN TEACHES US ABOUT THE BRAIN. Can you see the fail there? Yeah, I thought you could.)
2) Their questions are abysmally written - for example, not allowing for one to respond as "asexual" - and written leadingly to support their own assumptions.
3) They have not bothered to do even the slightest bits of research before putting up this study - the surveyors were apparently stunned to discover that fic writers do sometimes write novel-length fic.
4) The survey is not anonymous. They are IP logging and putting tracking cookies on your computer--as admitted by the survey authors in various comments. There is no informed consent page; they are gathering data about sexuality and illegal drug use, quite possibly from persons under 18 given the nature of the fandom beast, and this is not okay.
5) Did I mention that one of the survey authors has worked for the Dept. of Homeland Security? Yeah, cause THAT isn't setting off giant blazing alarm klaxons in my head or anything.
Happier post (or at least thinkier) to come; just wanted to get this out there.
The long version (excellent read) is here, and covers all the reasons why these people have no idea what they're doing and are using frankly sketchy data gathering techniques, but the short version:
1) They are attempting to other people with kinks in general and fandom in specific (the title of their book-to-be is apparently RULE 34: WHAT NETPORN TEACHES US ABOUT THE BRAIN. Can you see the fail there? Yeah, I thought you could.)
2) Their questions are abysmally written - for example, not allowing for one to respond as "asexual" - and written leadingly to support their own assumptions.
3) They have not bothered to do even the slightest bits of research before putting up this study - the surveyors were apparently stunned to discover that fic writers do sometimes write novel-length fic.
4) The survey is not anonymous. They are IP logging and putting tracking cookies on your computer--as admitted by the survey authors in various comments. There is no informed consent page; they are gathering data about sexuality and illegal drug use, quite possibly from persons under 18 given the nature of the fandom beast, and this is not okay.
5) Did I mention that one of the survey authors has worked for the Dept. of Homeland Security? Yeah, cause THAT isn't setting off giant blazing alarm klaxons in my head or anything.
Happier post (or at least thinkier) to come; just wanted to get this out there.