Harrriston+Focus+Group+Report

Harriston K

**To**: Social Networking Team **FROM:** Kendra Harriston **SUBJECT:** Social Networking Focus Group Report
 * DATE:** March 20, 2010

Here is my report on the focus group I held with five of my fellow Towson University students about the social networking website Facebook. Most of the group said that they use the site to keep in touch with friends, and would keep their Facebook if most of their friends decided to move to another social networking site.


 * Focus Group Rationale **

Facebook is currently the largest and most popular social networking site and therefore the most attractive place for businesses to connect with Gen-Y users. The social networking landscape, however, is volatile because users can easily switch from one site to another. Our focus groups seek to determine if Gen-Y still favors Facebook, how they primarily use the site, and what developments would cause this demographic to switch to another site. This information will allow us to advise Proximity clients about how to create an effective presence on Facebook.


 * Setting and Participants **

The focus group was conducted at my apartment in Towson Run, and lasted about 45 minutes. The Towson University students who participated were: · Monica, 20, Costume Design · Ashley, 20, Early Childhood Education · Brittany, 20, English · David, 22, Molecular Biology · Matt, 20, Science


 * Session Topics **

The topics discussed during the session were: __Reasons for Joining Facebook__ Everyone had the same reason for joining the site, to keep in touch with friends near and far and family as well. Along with keeping in touch with friends Brittany said she uses Facebook to play the many games available on the site such as Café World, Bejeweled, and many others.

__The Presence of Businesses on the site__ The group was partially split on their feelings about businesses on Facebook. David said that he was not a fan of any businesses and thinks they are “not really necessary.” Matt and Ashley said they were not friends with any businesses, but thought that is was a good idea that their presence was on the site. Ashley said “its smart because Facebook is addicting [and] its sure to raise profit and its free.” Brittany is a fan of a few businesses and thinks that with businesses on Facebook they can reach a bigger audience than they normally could through newpapers and magazine ads. __How they access Facebook__ Everyone responded that they some sort of access to Facebook through a mobile device, although, Monica was the only one who actually accesses Facebook through her phone everyday. The others just use it periodically. __The Longevity of Facebook__ Almost everyone said that if a large number of their friends left Facebook to join another social networking site, they would keep their Facebook page, but would try out the new site as well. Brittany went into more detail saying her moving to another social networking site would depend on her friends. “If a lot of my close friends left then I probably would after a while, because that is what happened with Myspace.”

Overall the focus group discussion revealed that the students:
 * Findings **
 * Mostly use Facebook to stay in touch friends with near and far away friends from high school and college.
 * Businesses present on Facebook are considered a good idea to gain prospective customers, but would prefer not to be “friends” with them.
 * Have mobile access to Facebook, but seldom use this particular access point.
 * Would keep their Facebook pages even if a majority of their left to join another social networking site.

The results of this focus group should be compared and contrasted with other sessions with participating college students. Even though most of the students agreed that businesses on the site are a good idea, a few said they would not become friends with them. We should considering doing a few more focus groups to see if Proximity needs to a create a new method of reaching out to potential customers on Facebook without seeming like an annoyance to users.