Thur+C+Focus+Group+Report

Thur C. TO: Social Networking Team FROM: Christina Thur SUBJECT: Social Networking Focus Group Report DATE: March 15, 2010

Here is my report on a focus group I ran with three female and two male college students. Our discussion focused on what concerns they have regarding employers having access to social networking sites, and if they consider Facebook groups as a form of solicitation. What was also discussed were the most popular devices used to access social networking sites. I was able to cover three of the five questions developed by our team. It was found that men and women access Facebook using different devices, and most participants expressed concern over employers having access to user's Facebook accounts but did not find Facebook groups to be a form of solicitation.
 * Foc ** ** us Group Rationale **

T oday, Facebook hosts 100 million active users. As social networking sites continue to grow (such as Facebook), the competition continues to evolve. Therefore, knowing Generation-Y’s general opinion of Facebook is imperative. Our focus group’s main focal point is to determine if Gen-Y will continue using Facebook, what features they view as a prominent feature or as solicitation, and how they primarily use the website. The results will prove beneficial to Proximity clients, who will use the information to more effectively maintain social networking sites such as Facebook.


 * Setting and Participants**

The 45 minute session was held at my house on Friday, March 13, 2010. The participants were: · Tony, 21, Florida State, criminal justice; · Benet, 22, College Park, physics; · Carissa, 22, College Park, business; · Kristen, 21, Villa Julie; elementary education; · Molly, 21, Salisbury; elementary education


 * Session Topics**

The following three topics were discussed during the session:

__Concerns about privacy:__

The session revealed that the male participants, Benet and Tony, were not concerned about employers having access to Facebook because they have not yet entered the business world. They have also expressed that their lack of concern was due to Facebook offering the option to make their Facebook profile private. The female participants expressed more concern over employers' ability to access Facebook, and are therefore more cautious with their added Facebook content.

__Facebook groups:__

The male and female participants were not bothered by the groups featured on Facebook. Both parties felt these features were not considered solicitation, and the female participants found these features to be a fun way to fill their spare time.

__Device most actively used to access Facebook:__

The male participants, Tony and Benet, reported they access Facebook via computer. The female participants, Carissa, Kristen, and Molly, acknowledged that they primarily use their phones to access social networking sites.


 * Findings**

The session revealed that the male participants
 * are not concerned with employers having access to Facebook due to privacy options;
 * do not find Facebook groups to be prominent features and have no opinion of whether or not these features are primarily used for solicitation;
 * access Facebook via computer.

The session revealed that the female participants These findings sh  o uld be compar ed with the results from our other sessions involving other participants.  These findings show that there is an emerging trend of decisively gendered social media. Since the majority who access Facebook via phone were female participants, ** I ** t would be easier to reach women using mobile social media than men. These results should also encourage clients who ** sell highly gendered products or services to focus their advertising towards gender-specific audiences. **
 * are more concerned with employer's ability to access Facebook;
 * do not find Facebook groups to be a prominent feature, but finds this feature useful;
 * accesses Facebook via mobile phone.