On Saturday, I'm chairing the annual Think Tank for the IABC Research Foundation, which funds research into communication issues that can benefit the entire profession. The Think Tank is meeting ahead of the IABC World Conference, which kicks off in San Francisco on Sunday.
This is my second go-around chairing the Think Tank, which brings a diverse group of some 20 or so communicators together for four hours to brainstorm the current issues facing the profession that warrant research. Usually, this is a sweeping overview, but for the first time ever, the Think Tank has been asked to focus specifically on one subject: social media.
Research into new communication is the mandate of the Society for New Communication Research (SNCR), of which (by way of disclosure) I am a founding fellow. In order to tap into synergies and avoid duplication, I invited Jen McClure, SNCR's executive director, and several SNCR fellows to participate in the Think Tank.
Even with SNCR's perspective, it would be great to present a list of topics to the group. So I put it to you: What dimensions of social media rate a full-blown research project? What issues do you face that could be aided if you could tap into data from a statistically valid, large-scale study?