FAQ about the CSN study

Please excuse the long post.  A number of members have posed questions on the discussion boards or emailed me for more information about the CSN study that has been underway since November 2013.  I thought it might be helpful to post the most common questions and my answers.

What is the CSN survey? What is its purpose? The survey is one component of a formal evaluation and study of CSN that was launched in November by way of an online survey that was emailed to certain members. The American Cancer Society is committed to offering services that are evidence-based – in other words, there is scientific evidence that the service does what it purports to do. Therefore, the survey follows standard scientific research practice and principles to learn about the benefits of participating in CSN and how members use it.     

I received email from someone called Greta at CSN. Is the email legitimate? Who is Greta?  If you’re cautious about opening email from someone you don’t know, you’re probably doubly wary of clicking a link in it. It’s certainly understandable, too. In this case, the email is legitimate and the links are safe to click on.  Greta (me) is American Cancer Society staff, director of survivor programs, and responsible for CSN.

Who was selected to participate? CSN members with an active account and valid email address who logged in at least 1 time between October 2010 and October 2013 were selected to participate.  

Why didn’t I get a survey? If you fit the criteria above, didn’t receive a survey, and would like to participate, please email me at Survey3@cancer.org.  There are many possible reasons to explain why you didn’t receive an email: the email address you have on file (located on your CSN account page) is no longer active so the email we sent was returned as “undeliverable;” the email address you have on file is active but you haven’t checked it for email;  you updated your email address but it has a typo and was returned to us; your internet provider sent the email to your spam folder or blocked its delivery entirely; your email bounced back to us because your mailbox was full or something else prevented delivery.

Will there be more than one survey? Yes. If you complete the first survey, some of you will be asked to complete a second, shorter survey about 2 months later.  If you complete the second survey, some of you will be asked to complete a third survey 2 months after you completed the second one.

What should I do if I lose my internet connection while filling out the survey? If you lose your connection or have to stop filling out the survey before you have completed it, all you have to do is click the survey link again. It will take you back to the beginning of the survey, but everything you already entered will still be there so all you need to do is click through to where you left off.

Why didn’t you ask about CSN website performance, design, usability, etc.?  Obviously, website performance, design, usability, and customer service are critically important. The current survey would be far too long if it included all the questions we need to ask about the site itself, so we decided to put them in a separate survey that we plan to send sometime in the spring or summer. Feedback from CSN members has to be collected correctly and properly analyzed  to facilitate well-informed, important decisions about technical aspects of the site.

Best regards,
Greta