Magazine Survey.

Use this board for general non-cycling-related chat, or to introduce yourself to the forum.
User avatar
cycle cat
Posts: 455
Joined: 6 Feb 2009, 5:16pm
Location: North Cheshire

Magazine Survey.

Post by cycle cat »

I've got my new Ctc magazine, Cycle.
Good. There is a reader survey included with a chance to be entered into a prize draw.
The prize is an Altura cycling jacket. All very well and good but its the man's version.
This jacket also comes in a woman's fit. So I have filled in the survey and asked for a pink jacket in size 14. The survey does ask what sex you are, after all.
As there are loads of female Ctc members and members of this forum it seems rather sexist to assume that only men will fill in the survey.
Who devised it? Not a lot of joined up thinking going on there.
Thank goodness for soup.
AlbionLass
Posts: 254
Joined: 7 Nov 2011, 11:53am

Re: Magazine Survey.

Post by AlbionLass »

I'd have to have the mens jacket as the womens ones (and I've tried Altura jackets in the past) are to short in the body and arms for me. :(
Similar story with womens 3/4 and long tights, I find the mens are a better fit even though I'm disctinctly woman shaped (large btm) I need a little extra in the leg and arm length.
I won't be filling in and returning the survey however, it isn't postage paid and I'm not made of money.
Last edited by AlbionLass on 4 Dec 2011, 2:47pm, edited 1 time in total.
JohnW
Posts: 6667
Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 9:12pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: Magazine Survey.

Post by JohnW »

I'm not going to respond to the survey.

Why should my opinion of the magazine - which is actually quite high - need me to tell the promoters my age, my income, how many bikes I have - how many bikes I'll buy this year - how much I spend on my cycling - etc, etc , etc?

My opinion is that it's all a load of crap, and that it's real purpose is to raise money for the CTC by selling to marketing companies information about us, which will generate vast quantities of useless and unwelcome paper work from people wishing to take money from us.

Moderators - put that to the appropriate Council members, and see what they say.
User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: Magazine Survey.

Post by Mick F »

John, I completely agree with you!
What business is it of anyone's how much I earn?
Why do they want my address? They already know it. Ditto email address.

My copy arrived yesterday, and I've scanned the mag and studied the survey. Mag's as good as ever, but the survey must've been designed by a non-cyclist, and obviously an independent (from the CTC) data retrieval firm.

For instance:
Have you bought a bike or related product as a result of Cycle? Yes or No
I don't know. All the advertised companies are on the internet.

How many people read your copy of Cycle?
I don't know, it goes down to the local health centre. Could be hundreds, but could be completely ignored.

What bikes do you own?
None of the boxes fits any of mine.

How many cycling holidays do you take a year?
What are they asking? Is this year or last year or any year, or a regular thing?
What is a "cycling holiday"?

How many days a week do you cycle?
What month?
What weather?
Do they mean a whole year divided by 52?
Mick F. Cornwall
thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Magazine Survey.

Post by thirdcrank »

Nothing sinister in this, just good housekeeping. This is simply the first step in disposing of some good-quality cycling togs, stockpiled in anticipation of a number of charity conversion motions. They are now surplus to requirements in that connection. :roll:
Edwards
Posts: 5982
Joined: 16 Mar 2007, 10:09pm
Location: Birmingham

Re: Magazine Survey.

Post by Edwards »

Mick F wrote:Why do they want my address? They already know it.


I find this the most stupid question and implies I am really thick.

They posted the dammed thing it got to me so why?

Do they think I have forgotten where I live? ( :oops: sometimes this does happen)
Keith Edwards
I do not care about spelling and grammar
User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: Magazine Survey.

Post by Mick F »

Yes, it's data for an independent firm.

The CTC know about you, but they exercise a privacy system to protect your info. Right too!

However, if you fill in a form and it goes to a data retrieval company, they then have YOUR details given freely by YOU and not the CTC. Who knows what they will do with it, but I can guess.
Mick F. Cornwall
rjb
Posts: 7200
Joined: 11 Jan 2007, 10:25am
Location: Somerset (originally 60/70's Plymouth)

Re: Magazine Survey.

Post by rjb »

If they send out a survey why do they not make it return postage paid ? For the information they are after they could just as well have posted a survey poll on this forum.
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
User avatar
Si
Moderator
Posts: 15191
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 7:37pm

Re: Magazine Survey.

Post by Si »

JohnW wrote:
Moderators - put that to the appropriate Council members, and see what they say.



I'm afraid that it is not the moderators job to put anything to council - if you have an issue then please raise it with them directly.

As to the data (concerning bike buying habits, income, etc) gathered in the survey - more likely that it is used to entice advertisers to the magazine, if you want to advertise you want to know who the audience is that you will reach via any publication that you should use.
User avatar
Si
Moderator
Posts: 15191
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 7:37pm

Re: Magazine Survey.

Post by Si »

rjb wrote:If they send out a survey why do they not make it return postage paid ? For the information they are after they could just as well have posted a survey poll on this forum.


the problem with doing it on line on the forum, or via survey monkey for instance, is that they couldn't verify whether respondents were members of the CTC or had only answered once. Indeed, a number of CTC members do not use the internet often and there are often complains when anything is done via the net only. By sending it out with the mag they know that it goes to the readers of the mag, ie their target group.

As for making it postage paid, yes, why not indeed?
Kevin Mayne
Posts: 44
Joined: 15 Jan 2010, 9:02am

Re: Magazine Survey.

Post by Kevin Mayne »

Thank you for these comments which have been brought to my attention.

The survey was created, paid for and will be analysed by our magazine publishers at no cost to CTC.

This is as far as I know their tried and tested approach for assessing readership responses and most surveys of this nature will capture data, if only to address issues like geographic spread. Its easier to do that from the forms than try to cross reference every reply with the CTC database.

I think the points about an on line survey may be valid, I don’t know what resources they have to do on line surveying but we can ask for future surveys.

However my main reason for posting is to address the data protection point. We never, ever, sell your data to third parties and we don't allow any of our agencies to keep your data for that purpose. If you look back over the years I suspect the most anyone will ever have had from us is an offer of a discounted place at various cycle shows which we believe members find valuable and mailings for occasional discounted services which we have selected.

If you ever think a mailing has come from a source that has obtained your data via CTC please let us know urgently.

Kevin Mayne
User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: Magazine Survey.

Post by Mick F »

Thank you for your reply Kevin.

The points still stand:
Why do you want our addresses when you know them?
Same as email info?
Why do you want to know age when you already know it?
Why do you want to know how much we earn?

I understand you want to confirm that the survey has been filled in by a Real Person. What's wrong with just the membership number?

It may not be fishy, but it certainly looks like it to me.
Mick F. Cornwall
Kevin Mayne
Posts: 44
Joined: 15 Jan 2010, 9:02am

Re: Magazine Survey.

Post by Kevin Mayne »

Sorry Mick if I was unclear.

To analyse this sort of survey data it is worth collecting what we might broadly call standard data, and to track change we need it to be compatible with past surveys.

Having done this sort of thing many times I can assure you that cross referencing to databases is often more trouble than it is worth - factors such as the many CTC members who don't supply details such as age or members who don't know where their membership card is from year to year tend to skew the results.

regards

Kevin
User avatar
fatmac
Posts: 53
Joined: 5 Oct 2011, 7:42pm
Location: Surrey/Hants Border

Re: Magazine Survey.

Post by fatmac »

My posts don't appear to be getting through, is this thread being censored.
I previously posted before (Kevin Mayne)
Linux since 1999
User avatar
Si
Moderator
Posts: 15191
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 7:37pm

Re: Magazine Survey.

Post by Si »

fatmac wrote:My posts don't appear to be getting through, is this thread being censored.
I previously posted before (Kevin Mayne)


According to the log no posts in this thread have been either removed or edited. When you posted did you actually see your post on the thread, or on pressing the 'submit' button did the post just not appear?
Post Reply