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Some results of my qualitative deco survey
These results are not completely calculated like my previous results were, partly due to the fact that it takes much longer to process qualitative data than quantitative. However, I am ashamed of having the same survey on my site for so long without posting the results so here are some tidbits I gleaned in this survey.
I got responses from 49 people which was very good, considering that I ceased to advertise the survey after a while. Most of them were the same ones who responded to my previous survey, or otherwise people who I have met in Yahoo groups.
Most people said that they don�t own any Yahoo groups or they have quit running one due to the lack of time. However, about one third of the responders said they run some kind of swapping group. One person wrote about running five groups but since this survey took place ages ago, the situation may well have changed.
When people considered what makes a swapping group function well, they mentioned characteristics like:
- open communication between members and listmoms
- friendliness
- regular activities
- honesty and not flaking out
Here is a good sample response that sums up many things:
�A friendly atmosphere, that everyone are nice and polite to each other. That members post their swaps in time and post their opinion on what they recive. That everyone do their best and make nice swaps. AND one BIG opinion for me: it is that the group doesn�t have toooo many rules! It really destroy me creativity when you have to sign up for swaps to collect points etc, like it is in some groups. Or when you have to stay stickt by the rules in every way. I like when you can choose for who you make the decos, and when the themes are not so small that you can do it in many different way and be artistic creative. I also like when its ONLY 3 decos in a swap.�
It seems that the themes people like are as individual as swappers themselves. There are no themes that are everyone�s favorites, which on the other hand makes swapping more interesting and diverse. There does, however, seem to be some kind of division between people who like mainstream and alternative themes, but that�s no absolute rule as there are plenty of people who like both! This also applies to the characteristics which people appreciate in decos. Creativity, individuality, neatness, nice themes and seeing interesting people were all valued.
Themes people were bored with seemed to be ones that made the �most common� list in my previous survey, such as holidays, Diddl, Disney, and so on. It is definitely a truism that you can get too much of a good thing.
Swappers are very interested in keeping their full decos and some regretted how few they have gotten in return. So if you are about to return a full deco, chances are that it will be cherished and well appreciated � a postage stamp is not a big item to purchase if you can make someone�s day at that price! Most people also try to thank the returners somehow. The most popular ways are writing a thanks email or making thanks decos. Some also send goodies in return.
The question about trends in decoing and deco groups was highly interesting. Here is the original question: �I was recently browsing new deco groups on Yahoo and noticed two trends: most groups were meant either for supercreative, totally artistic swappers with a cornucopia of different techniques, or people who like dark, alternative and edgy themes. Where does that leave those poor swappers who still like to use clippings and make glitzy, kitschy and cutesy decos? What's your opinion?�
Here are some answers (if you see yours here and don�t want to have it online, even if anonymous, please let me know and I will remove it immediately):
�I don't know. When everything starts to get unusual, then it isn't unusual anymore and the whole thing is spoiled... It's good when there's groups for every kind of swappers, but when there's too much something.... I cannot explain. Haha!�
�Well, there [are] still plenty of groups for these kind of swappers�
�I think they hang on those lists that are doing all kinds of swaps with all kinds of booklets and try to survive.�
�There are still a lot of groups for 'normal' swappers, so I don't think it would be a problem to find a group for them.�
�Well, I love artistic ones :) �. is a great example for this I think. I mean those are groups where you can work on your creativity. And the other groups are nice, to relax and have a good time decorating.�
�Those kitchy people should just start their own groups ;) "Only clippings and glitz allowed.Cutesy is a necessity!" :)�
�When I wanted to avoid getting ordinary not esp.beautiful decos the only solution I found was turning to stranger themes. Indeed I have noticed that beginners who are not very good decoers tend not to like such themes. However I do not say that 100% of beginners are crap-decoers and that 100% of the experienced decoers are all artists. That would be an awful generalization. In my opinion there should be groups for all tastes, all types of decoers and also there should be groups for beautiful decos no matter the style.�
�The ones claiming to be super artistic aren�t always so special (though there are exceptions of course). In general, I think there are too many groups, but if people can run their group successfully they�re free to keep doing what they do, and it leaves room for most people finding a group doing the things they like, even us liking clippings and cutesy decos! :)�
�I think creative has such a big meaning. most groups i am in
take on anyone who tries.�
Thanks to everyone who responded and apologies for not having more time to process detailed, scholarly results!
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