I ran my first live chat online focus group back in 2007 and, thinking back, there are quite a few things which I have discovered in the intervening 5 years and 50+ live online groups which I wish I’d know then.  The list is, needless to say, constantly growing and evolving as we try new techniques, incorporate some great ideas from clients, and make the odd mistake along the way.  Here...

As Facebook adds the co-founders of Gowalla to its development team, we are reminded of the importance of location in shaping the future of mobile services. Both the BBC and CNN have reported that ‘location services’ is a key driver behind the move for Gowalla:

"Facebook Places seems to work fairly well but they want to make...

We all think we know what a focus group looks like. It’s a bunch of people sat in a room above a shop on the high street, being plied with cups of tea and Roses chocolates, whilst a moderator asks them questions and a gaggle of clients gawp at them and drink wine behind a piece of mirrored glass.

But when it comes to online groups, there is far more variation in what is promoted as an online focus group. For some, it’s half a dozen respondents on the phone and/or webcam, responding to...