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MNHQ

Heads up: some academic research taking place

664 replies

RowanMumsnet · 30/08/2018 16:53

Hello

Some researchers from a UK university are going to be collecting posts from some boards on Mumsnet over the next few weeks. They will be looking only at posts published from this point onwards. Selected posts will be anonymised (ie usernames will not be stored anywhere), and all processes will be GDPR-compliant.

EDITED BY MNHQ: to be clear, NO private or back-end data is being shared with the researchers and they will have NO access to any extra information about users. They will only be analysing published posts, ie things that are already in the public domain.

The researchers will analyse the text of the anonymised posts as part of their study. The full text of these anonymised posts will not be reproduced in the study - no pieces of text that make you or your situation identifiable will be published.

Once the study is complete, the database containing the anonymised posts will be destroyed.

Obviously we'd love to tell you what the study is about - but we can't because it will skew the results. However once the research has been completed we'll share it with you and you can read all about it. The academics running the study are people we've worked with before, and the topic is one we think lots of MN users will agree is interesting and useful.

IMPORTANT BIT: if you DO NOT want your posts to be considered for inclusion in the research, please shout here on this thread or email us on [email protected]

And of course let us know if you have any questions and we'll see if we can answer them.

Thanks

MNHQ

OP posts:
MNHQ
RowanMumsnet · 31/08/2018 10:13

@JeffreyNeedsAHobby

Of course I can mention the uni, but not in a negative way (to clarify). At least this is what an email sent to all of us last year stated.

Nothing to do with parents attending uni/posts about academic institutions - just to set your mind at rest (hopefully)

OP posts:
RuleBreaker · 31/08/2018 10:13

The frothing on this thread is absolutely incredible.

ShrodingersSturdyPyjamas · 31/08/2018 10:12

I don't understand why people are objecting or why they're feeling affronted by the prospect of someone analysing their posts.

That is absolutely fine that you don't understand.

MNHQ recently had an intern that may or may not have taken personal data with them when they left and given it to people who want to shut MN down for the purposes of outing certain users for having opinions that they do not agree with.

MN here are saying that if you don't want your posts analysed, you can opt out here.

MN users name change regularly so the only way to link the posts from the same user is by details that are not in the public domain.

It is also highly unethical to subject people to be guinea pigs in research without their knowledge. Just posting a 'opt out' thread is not enough. Otherwise everyone would do their research this way.

There are people who are planning to take MN down.

We know this.

The timing is pretty apt.

So MNHQ need to actually tell people what information is being shared and who is having this information.

MNHQ
RowanMumsnet · 31/08/2018 10:09

@IdahoJones

Maybe this thread is the research project.

Grin It would definitely make a good one. (It's not though!)

OP posts:
MNHQ
RowanMumsnet · 31/08/2018 10:06

The researchers won't be told (and haven't asked to be told) anything about users' namechanges.

If you have opted out and then namechange and are still keen to be excluded you'll need to let us know about the namechange - you can just add another post here (other users won't know you've NCd) or email us on [email protected] if you'd rather

There's no need to worry about any namechanges up to the point this thread was started - the research is not retrospective

OP posts:
MNHQ
RowanMumsnet · 31/08/2018 10:03

We at MNHQ are not being paid for this at all, nor are there any other inducements. We think the topic they're exploring is one our users will find interesting so we've asked that we be allowed to share the research with you when it's published.

OP posts:
MNHQ
RowanMumsnet · 31/08/2018 10:00

This research is nothing at all to do with gender identity/the debate around gender self-ID/any related issues to that at all.

It's also not to do with sex, adult relationships, bereavement, disability or SEN, miscarriage or pregnancy loss, or health concerns of any kind. As I said upthread it's very much in the child-rearing/parenting domain.

OP posts:
MNHQ
RowanMumsnet · 31/08/2018 09:58

Morning

Thanks for all the comments.

I'll go through and try to answer individual points now.

The researchers will have absolutely no access whatsoever to any behind-the-scenes data at all.

As a few of you have said, they're doing something that people do on MN and on other networks all the time - usually without notifying us first!

So those who have said 'if that's all it is they don't need to ask permission' are right - plenty of researchers and journalists have gone ahead and analysed posts on MN (and published the results) without informing us.

In this case, because they did come to us and ask if it was OK, we thought the most ethical thing to do would be to inform you all about it. We didn't mean to cause alarm though - we're sorry about that.

OP posts:
80sMum · 31/08/2018 09:47

I don't understand why people are objecting or why they're feeling affronted by the prospect of someone analysing their posts.

Surely, once a post has been published on Mumsnet, it's in the public
domain? Therefore anyone can read it, comment on it, copy and paste it to save in a file, quote it in another comment or article and otherwise use it for their own purpose?

Charliethefeminist · 31/08/2018 09:43

Idaho: my eyes just crossed at that thought.

TheGirlOnTheLanding · 31/08/2018 09:38

All very Secret Squirrel. Not convinced it's only the publicly available posts they'll be given access to (otherwise why ask?). I'd like to opt out please.

IdahoJones · 31/08/2018 09:35

Maybe this thread is the research project.

JeffreyNeedsAHobby · 31/08/2018 09:23

Well, linguistic analysis can be interesting (for topics such as depression for example) but you need follow up and confirmation that the people are, in fact REAL, not trolls Hmm. Maybe the uni has a way of doing this - imagine, that really could be groundbreaking! Although most of us can spot them a mile of using our own version of linguistic analysis...

Am also going to take a break from posting. This is exactly the kind of thing that gets my anxiety going!

5000KallaxHoles · 31/08/2018 09:17

I do not give my consent to my posts under this, any previous, or any future usernames to be used. Also any of the other data MNHQ holds on me.

Don't give a shit what the cheerleader crowd think about that.

Fail to see what academic research of benefit is going to be produced apart from the earthshattering findings that people can be knobheads on the internet, people are obsessed with how often other people wash their bedding, loo brushes are evil and shite like that.

sociopathsunited · 31/08/2018 09:15

Exclude me. Colour me suspicious but without all the info, this is unacceptable.

Haquina · 31/08/2018 09:07

Actioned not auctioned. Didn’t spot the autocorrect.

Haquina · 31/08/2018 09:06

Rather than rely on my request to opt out being auctioned I think I’ll just take a break from posting. Not because I say much that’s contentious, or imagine what I say to be private when it’s on a public forum, but because academic ‘research’ conducted in this manner sounds like it’ll only produce a load of twaddle: especially so when it’s source is a site that relies on its users to flag moderation issues, which takes down so many threads to ‘look behind the scenes’ and where posters frequently change details and facts to protect their actual identity. That’s still not taking into account WUMs and GFs either.

RoseAndRose · 31/08/2018 08:55

Will the researchers just be able to look at posts?

Or will they have greater access to the data? Will they be able to see name changes? If you NC a for privacy, then you accept that MNHQers who need to have access to sensitive personal data can see it. But am not happy with the idea of any temps (whether researcher or for some other reason) having access.

I would welcome an assurance on exactly what 'behind the scenes' data they will see.

Also, exact start and end date.

JeffreyNeedsAHobby · 31/08/2018 08:50

Although if it is research about problems parents have attending uni, perhaps my posts are important...this is exactly the issue I had with the uni - they want to know your opinions, refuse to do anything to make it better and then become sinister about you not telling anyone else your opinions Hmm. It's not easy to know if they are trying to pin a target to your back or actually want real feedback.

CoteDAzur · 31/08/2018 08:48

"There are other, qualitative, ways of analysing discourse."

Are you just not understanding the phrase "these particular words figure prominently"? Hmm

That is frequency analysis. No qualitative analysis in the world will show you which words are more frequently used in a forum.

Cuntysnark · 31/08/2018 08:48

Please don’t include me.

sansouci · 31/08/2018 08:47

Surely MNHQ would have made some sort of additional clarification by this time?

JeffreyNeedsAHobby · 31/08/2018 08:42

Of course I can mention the uni, but not in a negative way (to clarify). At least this is what an email sent to all of us last year stated.

C8H10N4O2 · 31/08/2018 08:42

@RowanMumsnet can we get some clarity on the following points:

  1. Will researchers use public posts only or also have access to "deleted" and "withdrawn" posts?

  2. Will researchers be using surrogate names for posters and therefore be able to string together posts from a single poster?

  3. If the answer to (2) is "yes" will this surrogate username persist across NCs?

  4. Will IP addresses be passed on?

  5. will details of advertising presented to the user be passed on?

  6. Will any information of any kind whatsoever, held on users, be passed on to the researchers? (including geographic location, numbers of children etc, family details, surveys responded to etc etc etc)

It isn't going to skew the study any more than it will be already to give a general area of research eg child rearing, family breakdown, food and nutrition, political activism, women in the workplace etc.

Considering some of the attacks on MN members posting on FWR lately I think we do at least need a clear statement that it is or isn't to do with attitudes on feminism or gender critical politics

JeffreyNeedsAHobby · 31/08/2018 08:41

I certainly do not consent to this! I have recently posted about my experience at uni as a mature student. I have been aware that I am not allowed to mention that uni by name on "social media" - however the purpose of this site is to advise. Where do we draw the line here? Will I be hauled in by them for breach of something I probably signed away pre-uni starting (and when I had savings!) if I divulge which uni I went to or are you guys protecting my right to free speech?