Heads up: some academic research taking place

[RowanMumsnet]

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

It's probably worth posting this now, from the Terms that MNHQ have - and actually probably a good idea for MN to send this to every new poster when they sign up:

By submitting User Content to us, simultaneously with such posting you automatically grant to us a worldwide, fully-paid, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, fully sublicensable, and transferable right and license to use, record, sell, lease, reproduce, distribute, create derivative works based upon (including, without limitation, translations), publicly display, publicly perform, transmit, publish and otherwise exploit the User Content (in whole or in part) as Mumsnet, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate. We may exercise this grant in any format, media or technology now known or later developed for the full term of any copyright that may exist in such User Content.

Subject to the rights and license you grant to us under these Terms of Use, you retain all your right, title and interest in your User Content submissions. This means that copyright in your User Content will remain with you and that you can continue to use the material in any way, including allowing others to use it.

Sounds interesting whatever it is, and these research projects usually unearth something valuable.

Do MNHQ need to send every poster an email with the terms on it? The terms are there, they're not hidden; I would imagine that if anyone were really concerned - seriously concerned - they'd find them and read them before they sign up and start posting?

Wouldn't they?

Well clearly not, @Jux! The number of posters on this thread alone who don't know about this, or think there's some kind of privacy allowed on Mumsnet would suggest that they don't know this.

Thank god they now teach critical thinking in schools! Nothing is more greatly needed.

Mind you, MNHQ could send as many emails as they like to us over the week, those who don't read the ts&cs now, won't read them no matter how often they're sent, email, Messenger, text, whatever. They aren't interested or they'd have checked it all out already.

Errrrrm there is nothing to stop ANYONE doing research on a public site. I could just knock myself up some graphs and spreadsheets, not tell any of you and boom! Done! I could publish something on the internet tomorrow. The terms and conditions are very clear.
Only publish what you wish others to see.

@RowanMumsnet. Did this research ever materialise?

[quote dipstyque]@RowanMumsnet. Did this research ever materialise?[/quote]

Good question! I can't believe this was a year ago . I'll see what I can find out for you

Also very interested to know @RowanMumsnet...

@EnFinale

Also very interested to know *@RowanMumsnet*...

Right, the researchers say "Collecting the data we needed took a little bit more time than what we initially anticipated (in fact a lot more time!) so things are progressing a little bit slower than the plan.

We, however, have a linguist on board now and we are looking on the best and most meaningful way to analyse the data.

Of course when we have any outputs we will let you know."

So, as soon as I have something I'll pass it on

Thanks for the update @RowanMumsnet. Now the data have been collected then surely we can know now what the focus/research question was?

Ooo yes. Look forward to hearing also, intrigued.

@EnFinale

Thanks for the update *@RowanMumsnet*. Now the data have been collected then surely we can know now what the focus/research question was?

Sorry, I didn't get a notification about this one for some reason.

Yes, I don't see why not - it sounds as though they've collected all the data - it was about how parents on MN talk about feeding babies, whether breastfeeding, bottle feeding or mixed feeding. (I think some of you guessed this at the time!)