Toluna Enhances Social Media Voting Platform

Online panel and survey technology provider Toluna has unveiled a new web site with an upgraded social media voting community. The firm aims to improve community engagement and further promote participation in its surveys.

It's almost ten years since Toluna announced 'the world's first social voting community site', focused on maximizing panelist engagement and increasing survey responsiveness and data reliability using Web 2.0 technology.

The new social media community site makes it easier for members / respondents to share related content on Facebook and Twitter, following, reviewing and recommending posts by other members. Users can also earn virtual goods called 'Gifties' by completing surveys, convert them in some cases to real gifts and send them to friends and colleagues, therefore helping to introduce new members.

Toluna says the new site also allows more prominent posting of survey invitations by researcher users.

According to President, North America and Group Strategy Officer George Terhanian, 'A survey is only as strong and trustworthy as its respondents'. He adds: 'By enhancing the experience of Toluna.com's diverse members, we're building loyalty, trust and engagement without causing any form of bias.'

Toluna says the direct monetary payments used by 'most other companies' to reward panelists may promote 'a variety of undesirable within-survey behaviors' including random and illogical responding, over-use of Don't Know and 'speeding' through questionnaires. Toluna founder and CEO Frédéric-Charles Petit says many people want more than just money for completing surveys: 'They also want to experience the emotional benefits that come from participating in a thriving community.'

The company operates from seventeen offices in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Core products include DIY survey engine QuickSurveys, community building and management platform PanelPortal, and the Toluna Analytics real-time tabulation tool, and the firm is online at www.toluna-group.com .