survey

Survey: Over half of U.S. workplaces block social networks

A majority of U.S. workplaces block access to social-networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, new survey results commissioned by consulting firm Robert Half Technology indicate. Fifty-four percent block social networks "completely," while another 19 percent only permit it "for business purposes."

Only 10 percent of companies surveyed permit social-network use on the job for any kind of personal use; 16 percent allow "limited" personal use, according to the results released Tuesday.

The study, conducted by an independent research firm, surveyed about 1,400 chief information officers at U.S. companies with 100 or … Read more

Macs and PCs found shacking up

Originally published by Ina Fried at Beyond Binary

While the number of Apple-owning households continues to grow, the vast majority of those Macs are sharing space with at least one Windows-based PC, according to a new study.

The NPD Group said Monday that its online survey found that 12 percent of households with a computer have at least one Mac, up from 9 percent a year ago. Nearly 85 percent of those with a Mac, though, also have at least one Windows-based PC. … Read more

Why all the requests for paperless billing lately?

Feel like just about every utility, bank, and service company you use is asking you to sign up for their paperless option?

It's not your imagination. And you're about to be inundated with even more requests to opt-in to paperless communications, according to an IDC survey released Thursday.

Ninety-two percent of the 300 U.S. companies in IDC's "Green IT & Sustainability Survey 2009" said getting customers to move from print to online services is a goal they hope to initiate within 12 months.

The survey also shows an increased interest from companies in implementing … Read more

Study finds retailers are thinking socially

Retailers have a love-hate relationship with social media, according to a study set to be released next week.

The E-tailing Group, which specializes in retail sector trends, surveyed 117 companies--from small to large--to assess how retailers and brands view the social Web.

The biggest concern among respondents is that consumers will "trash their products in front of a large audience," according to E-tailing Group. At the same time, companies very much want to partake in the social Web.

Ninety-three percent of companies surveyed said they are seeking greater customer engagement through social-media efforts. And 76 percent want to … Read more

E-book readers still owned by small niche

The tech industry buzzes a lot about e-book readers. But how widely are they actually used?

Among 1,529 consumers who responded to a July 2009 questionnaire from research firm In-Stat, only 5.8 percent currently own an e-book reader. And only 11 percent of those questioned said they planned to buy one in the next 12 months, according to the In-Stat report released this week.

Those low results may be even more significant given that In-Stat's survey audience consisted of high-end consumers who typically adopt new technology earlier than the general public.

Another study released last week by … Read more

Survey: Users of social networks take risks despite concerns

A study commissioned by Web security company AVG Technologies and the Chief Marketing Officers Council (CMO) points out an interesting contradiction between people's concerns and actions regarding security risks on social networking sites.

The summary report says that "while the majority of social networking users are afflicted by web-borne security problems, less than one third are taking actions to protect themselves online."

Unfortunately, the data provided to the media as of Tuesday afternoon says very little about the study's methodology, lacks the actual questions asked, and in some cases lacks the actual percentages of responses. It … Read more

CEOs, other execs disagree on security

CEOs and their senior executives don't see eye to eye on key security issues, according to a new survey.

Many CEOs don't consider their own companies vulnerable to security attacks and are confident in their ability to combat those attacks, says a survey released Wednesday. However, those findings contrast with the opinions of senior executives who report to the CEO. They see their companies as more vulnerable and are not confident they can stop data theft. The survey was sponsored by security company Ounce Labs and conducted by security researcher Ponemon Institute.

The survey sought to determine how … Read more

Online survey creator

WinSurvey produces online surveys that can be simple to fill out and helpful to producers. While creating the surveys was a cinch, users may need to spend a little time learning how to publish them.

At first glance, the interface appears intimidating, with its many commands and tabs. Thankfully, creating the actual surveys was a simple and intuitive process; however, publishing them was a bit of a different matter. Whether we wanted a survey that had users fill in radio buttons, essay answers, or ratings, we were able to customize our own survey by following the wizard the program provides. … Read more

Kids cheating with tech but are schools cheating kids?

The results of a survey showing that 35 percent of middle school and high school students with cell phones have used them to cheat at school is indeed alarming. And perhaps more alarming is the finding that nearly a quarter of the students don't even think it's cheating.

Cheating is cheating regardless of whether you use technology or old-fashioned paper notes. I'm appalled that kids may be using technology to cheat in school, but I'm just as appalled at how schools are cheating kids when it comes to technology.

But in addition to admonishing kids about … Read more