Virtual Surveys are currently engaged in what I feel could be the most exciting online research project currently taking place in the UK. Virtual Surveys are hosting and moderating a research community of 16-25 year olds called mylifemyid.org which is looking at identity issues and which will help inform the Government’s thinking about the programme for introducing ID cards to the UK. The first cards are going to be issued to non-EU, non-UK, UK residents this year, to people in sensitive occupations next year, and from 2010 they will be available on a voluntary basis to the rest of us, with the first batch being prioritised for young people.
The research is being conducted for the Home Office Identity and Passport Service and was launched in a blaze of publicity by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith (see BBC report here).
What makes this project so interesting, beyond the inherent interest in the topic itself, is the degree of passion that many people feel about the topic of ID Cards. The community already has about a thousand members, some of whom are relatively new to the debate, but there are also people with strong and informed views. The challenge for the moderating team is to allow everyone a fair say, without being too heavy handed, and without permitting the people with the strongest views to silence others.
One of the approaches Virtual Surveys are taking to the research is to divide the discussion area into two brad categories. In the Research Topics, they are working through the discussion guide, modifying it in the light of the information received. In this area they are quite strict with people who post off topic (moving inappropriate posts elsewhere). At the time of writing this post there were 3 themes and 10 topics in the Research area.
In the ‘Other discussions about identity’ area, members are much less constrained, they can talk about pretty much any topic they want to. In this area there are 264 topics.
Most research forums to date have been closed communities or walled gardens as they are often called. One of the exciting things about this project is that the forum is open to all UK residents aged 16-25 years.
