Eliciting Public Participation

A recent study conducted by Nielson Media Research reports that 70% of US users access the Internet from either a home or office computer. The remaining 30% of Internet users log on at alternative points of access. The largest reported alternative point of access is the public library (36%), followed by community centers (14%). Some recent studies show an emergent trend in religious congregational spaces as an increasing alternative point of access.

Survey Stations

When developing an implementation strategy for an Internet survey, it is crucial that special care is taken to make the survey as accessible as possible. Survey stations were set up at both the Cross Mills Public Library and in Town Hall. Librarians and Town Hall employees were provided with informational flyers, posters, and instruction for taking the survey. The two survey stations provided residents who may not have had Internet access from work or home with a means to participate in the study.

E-mail Publicity

Perhaps the most efficient means of publicizing an Internet survey is to elicit participation via E-mail. Users are already online when they hear of the study, and they can easily click on a link, go to the site, and take the survey immediately. Unfortunately, Charlestown planning community did not have a list of resident E-mail contacts. However, various community organizations and E-mail groups offered to send E-mails to their consituencies. Although E-mail provides an efficient communication strategy to encourage participation, it is limited to the extensiveness of contacts. While E-mail may engender many responses, it will most often encourage input from people who are already connected to the planning community or project in some form or another.

Online Publicity

Municipal and other related websites can provide links to Internet surveys and projects. Unfortunately, the Charlestown Official Homepage was not availed by town officials as space for a special feature, banner or link for the Openspace Prioritization Project. Other local websites did not respond to requests for listing, indicating that these sites are probably not often maintained.

Community Newsletters

Charlestown maintains a monthly newsletter, The Pipeline, that is circulated to all residents. This publication would have been an ideal means to garner public participation. Unfortunately, the planning community decided not to circulate a newsletter the month of the survey. They did not have additional features to compose a full newsletter, and decided that the survey was not sufficiently important to merit its own mailing.

The Importance of Local Press Coverage

Local press has proven to be one of the most affective means to raise awareness of projects like this Internet survey, especially in a community like Charlestown. A press release was sent to all local newspapers, and articles promptly ran. Survey response rates increased significantly in the two days after most of the newspaper coverage.