As you page through this month’s issue and/or peruse our Web site, you’ll notice changes. Some are major, some are minor, but there’s quite a lot to cover, so I thought I would devote this month’s column to outlining some of the new features and how to get the most out of them.
On the major side, the Quirk Boys (aka Dan Quirk, Steve Quirk and Jim Quirk) have revamped our annual directory of marketing research software. The alphabetic listing of firms remains the same but they have added a new section to make it easier to compare software titles. Turn to page 122 and you’ll see titles arranged by capabilities such as CAPI/CASI/CATI, tabulation, etc.
On the editorial side, at the end of selected articles in this month’s issue you may also notice another new feature, the Article QuickLink. Each month I will choose articles from our online Article Archive that complement stories in the current print edition of the magazine. In this issue, for example, we have included QuickLink numbers for two of Steven Struhl’s past software reviews.
To view the past articles, simply go to quirks.com, find the QuickLink section in the Article Archive and enter the three-digit article number. That’s all there is to it!
The QuickLink feature is also helpful for times when you don’t know an article’s title or author. As long as you know the article number, just type it in the QuickLink box and you’ll be taken right to it.
Speaking of articles, later this month we hope to complete the Article Archive by posting the 1986-1991 and 2001 articles. Once that’s accomplished, every case history and technique article we’ve ever published will be available electronically.
And that archive is now easier to search through, thanks to a new keyword search feature. As with any search function, the more specific you are, the better. For example, entering “focus group” might give you more references than you can really use. But if you remember seeing an article that we did on a certain company, for example, you will be able to track it down in a way that you couldn’t before.
The online Researcher Forum has also received a makeover. Dan Quirk analyzed all of the postings from the Forum’s previous incarnation and came up with the 30 most common question categories. So the Forum, which previously had five topic areas, now has 30, letting you post questions and comments with greater specificity.
And after you post something, if you decide you want to change or delete it, now you can — as long as you’ve completed the free and painless registration process! We have also archived the old forum postings, in a view-only format.
In the year ahead, Dan plans to add features to the Job Mart that allow editing control over both job postings and résumé postings (also requiring free registration).
These new and future features, along with our top-notch collection of searchable online directories (including the Researcher SourceBook, and the directories of mall, focus group, and telephone interviewing facilities), and resources such as the research association list, events calendar, and the Research Shop make quirks.com the place to go when you’re looking for marketing research information.
As always, if you have suggestions for further improvements, we welcome them!