Survey of IBMPC Computer Conferencing Usage -- June, 1988
Thank you for taking part in the 1988 IBMPC user survey! Your
cooperation is appreciated. This survey will help us to better
understand the role that computer conferencing plays within IBM, the
nature and needs of the IBMPC community, the success of IBMPC in
satisfying those needs, and the ways in which we can improve the way
IBMPC works.
The survey will be kept completely anonymous unless you elect to give
your name. In any case, results of the survey will be released only
as group data (numbers, percentages, etc), and possibly as
unattributed quotations.
The survey contains 115 questions and takes between 20 and 40 minutes
to complete. If you can't finish all at once, feel free to stop and
start again later. Your answers will be saved (in the file
IBMPCSUR.OUT') so you can continue with the next question when you
restart the survey program.
Directions for sending in your completed survey will be given at the
end of the survey. There is also a large space there for notes; we
welcome general or tangential comments on IBMPC, on the survey, or on
anything else.
- How old are you?
- 0-25
- 26-35
- 36-45
- 46-59
- 60+
- What is your gender?
- Male
- Female
- How verbal do you consider yourself? That is, how fluent are you
with words (as opposed to body language, expression, gestures,
pictures, etc)?
- Not verbal at all
- Not very verbal
- About average
- Quite verbal
- Extremely verbal
- How fluent are you in the English language (as opposed to some
other human language)?
- Not Very Fluent
- Somewhat Fluent
- Extremely Fluent
About Your Job
- What general area is your job in?
- Marketing
- Customer Service/Support
- Manufacturing
- Administrative/Personnel
- Divisional/Corporate Staff
- IBM Internal Service/Support
- Development
- Research
- Other
If other, how would you describe the area your job is in?
- Where is your work location?
- United States
- Other North America
- South America
- Europe
- Pacific/Asia
- Middle East/Africa
- Other
If other, how would you describe your work location?
- How often do you work a standard 8-hour 9-to-5-ish day?
- Always
- Usually
- Sometimes
- Rarely
- Almost never
- Does your job involve supervising others (as a manager or project
leader does)?
- Yes
- No
- How long has it been since you first used a computer?
- Less than one year
- One to five years
- Six to ten years
- Eleven to twenty years
- More than twenty years
- How much do you like (or dislike) using computers?
- I like using computers very much
- I like it somewhat
- I neither like nor dislike it
- I dislike it somewhat
- I dislike using computers very much
- What kind of computer user do you consider yourself?
- Expert
- Quite knowledgeable
- Average
- Inexperienced
- Total novice
- Do you have access to the IBMPC conferencing facility from home?
- Yes
- No
- About how many hours a week do you use a computer for getting your
IBM work done?
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- About how many hours a week do you use a computer for your own
private use?
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- About how many hours a week do you use a computer for
conferencing?
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- About how many hours a week do you use a computer for
non-conference communication (like electronic mail)?'
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- About how many hours a week do you use a computer for word
Processing (besides mail or conferencing)?
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- About how many hours a week do you use a computer for calculation
(numbers)?
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- About how many hours a week do you use a computer for programming?
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- About how many hours a week do you use a computer for Other
non-communication uses
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- About how many hours a week do you listen to the radio?
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- About how many hours a week do you read newspapers, books, and
magazines?
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- About how many hours a week do you read and write letters and
other paper correspondence?
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- About how many hours a week do you talk to other people (family,
friends, coworkers) face to face (in person)?
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- About how many hours a week do you talk to other people on the
telephone?
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- About how many hours a week do you spend in meetings and other
group discussions?
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- About how many hours a week do you listening to lectures and other
speeches?
- less than 1 hour per week
- 1 to 5 hours per week
- 6 to 16 hours per week
- 17 to 35 hours per week
- more than 35 hours per week
- How important to you are the opinions of your immediate family
(spouse, children, parents, etc.) ?
- not important
- somewhat important
- moderately important
- very important
- extremely important
- How important to you are the opinions of the people in the
community (town, village, city, etc.) you live in?
- not important
- somewhat important
- moderately important
- very important
- extremely important
- How important to to you are the opinions of the IBMPC Conferencing
Community.
- not important
- somewhat important
- moderately important
- very important
- extremely important
- How important to you are the opinions of the people you work with
(same group, aisle, etc.)?
- not important
- somewhat important
- moderately important
- very important
- extremely important
- How important to you are the opinions of your neighbors.
- not important
- somewhat important
- moderately important
- very important
- extremely important
- To what extent do you rely on the people you work with (same
group, aisle, etc.)?
- not reliant
- somewhat reliant
- moderately reliant
- very reliant
- extremely reliant
- To what extent do you rely on the people in the community (town,
village, city, etc.) you live in?
- not reliant
- somewhat reliant
- moderately reliant
- very reliant
- extremely reliant
- To what extent do you rely on your neighbors?
- not reliant
- somewhat reliant
- moderately reliant
- very reliant
- extremely reliant
- To what extent do you rely on the IBMPC conferencing community?
- not reliant
- somewhat reliant
- moderately reliant
- very reliant
- extremely reliant
- To what extent do you rely on your immediate family (spouse,
children, parents, etc.)?
- not reliant
- somewhat reliant
- moderately reliant
- very reliant
- extremely reliant
- How committed do you feel toward your immediate family (spouse,
children, parents, etc.)?
- not committed
- somewhat committed
- moderately committed
- very committed
- extremely committed
- How committed do you feel toward the IBMPC conferencing community?
- not committed
- somewhat committed
- moderately committed
- very committed
- extremely committed
- How committed do you feel toward the people you work with (same
group, aisle, etc.)?
- not committed
- somewhat committed
- moderately committed
- very committed
- extremely committed
- How committed do you feel toward your neighbors?
- not committed
- somewhat committed
- moderately committed
- very committed
- extremely committed
- How committed do you feel toward the people in the community
(town, village, city, etc.) you live in?
- not committed
- somewhat committed
- moderately committed
- very committed
- extremely committed
You and IBMPC
- About how often do you read information on the IBMPC computer
conferencing facility?
- Never
- Less than once a month
- Once or twice a month
- Once or twice a week
- Approximately once a day
- More than once a day
- How long has it been since you first used IBMPC?
- Less than 3 months
- 3-6 months
- 6-12 months
- 1-2 years
- More than 2 years
- How much do you know about the IBMPC conferencing system?
- I'm an expert on IBMPC.
- I'm quite knowledgeable.
- I'm about average.
- I don't know very much about it.
- I know little or nothing about it.
- Compared to the average contributor, would you say that your
knowledge of the subjects discussed on IBMPC is on the whole:
- Much greater
- Somewhat greater
- About the same
- Somewhat less
- Much less
- Do you use other conferencing facilities/systems, such as IBMVM,
GRAND, EQUAL, or non-IBM conferences?
- Yes
- No
If yes, which conferencing facilities/systems do you use?
- Do you mostly read the data on the IBMPC conferencing facility by
- linking directly to the master at Yorktown.
- linking to a shadow copy of the data.
- making requests (such as GET and SUBSCRIBE) to the master.
- making requests (such as GET and SUBSCRIBE) to a shadow.
- I don't know. I run a program and it gets the data from IBMPC.
- How satisfied are you with the quality of the information on the
IBMPC conferencing facility?
- Very Satisfied
- Satisfied
- Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied
- Dissatisfied
- Very Dissatisfied
- How satisfied are you with the organization of the information on
the IBMPC conferencing facility?
- Very Satisfied
- Satisfied
- Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied
- Dissatisfied
- Very Dissatisfied
- How satisfied are you with the available interfaces (ways of
using) the IBMPC conferencing facility?
- Very Satisfied
- Satisfied
- Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied
- Dissatisfied
- Very Dissatisfied
- How satisfied are you with the way the IBMPC conferencing system
is reviewed and controlled?
- Very Satisfied
- Satisfied
- Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied
- Dissatisfied
- Very Dissatisfied
- How satisfied are you with IBMPC overall?
- Very Satisfied
- Satisfied
- Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied
- Dissatisfied
- Very Dissatisfied
- How do you feel about the amount of control that is exercised by
forum owners and IBMPC administrators:
- Too much control
- About the right amount
- Not enough control
- Is following or using the IBMPC conferencing facility part of your
job requirements?
- Yes
- No
If yes, describe why following or using IBMPC is a part of your job
and how you use it.
- How did you originally learn to use the IBMPC conferencing system?
- From IBMPC MEMO
- From an official class
- From other users
- From IBMPC user support (DC, et al)
- From a presentation at an IBM Conference
- From an IBM Publication
- Through Personal Discovery, Trial and Error
- Other
If from a publication, in what publication did you learn about the
IBMPC conferencing facility?
If other, where did you learn how to use the IBMPC conferencing
system?
- How fast is face to face interaction? (How quickly can a message
travel? How quickly must/will the message be received? How dynamic
is the content?)
- instantaneous.
- almost instantaneous.
- very quick.
- moderately quick.
- fairly quick.
- somewhat slow.
- very slow.
- extremely slow.
- How fast are telephone conversations? (How quickly can a message
travel? How quickly must/will the message be received? How dynamic
is the content?)
- instantaneous.
- almost instantaneous.
- very quick.
- moderately quick.
- fairly quick.
- somewhat slow.
- very slow.
- extremely slow.
- How fast is electronic mail? (How quickly can a message travel?
How quickly must/will the message be received? How dynamic is the
content?)
- instantaneous.
- almost instantaneous.
- very quick.
- moderately quick.
- fairly quick.
- somewhat slow.
- very slow.
- extremely slow.
- How fast are publications? (How quickly can a message travel? How
quickly must/will the message be received? How dynamic is the
content?)
- instantaneous.
- almost instantaneous.
- very quick.
- moderately quick.
- fairly quick.
- somewhat slow.
- very slow.
- extremely slow.
- How fast are memos/correspondence? (How quickly can a message
travel? How quickly must/will the message be received? How dynamic
is the content?)
- instantaneous.
- almost instantaneous.
- very quick.
- moderately quick.
- fairly quick.
- somewhat slow.
- very slow.
- extremely slow.
- How fast is broadcast television? (How quickly can a message
travel? How quickly must/will the message be received? How dynamic
is the content?)
- instantaneous.
- almost instantaneous.
- very quick.
- moderately quick.
- fairly quick.
- somewhat slow.
- very slow.
- extremely slow.
- How fast is computer conferencing? (How quickly can a message
travel? How quickly must/will the message be received? How dynamic
is the content?)
- instantaneous.
- almost instantaneous.
- very quick.
- moderately quick.
- fairly quick.
- somewhat slow.
- very slow.
- extremely slow.
- How rich is the content of telephone conversations? (How much
information must be processed all at once? How much information is
available?)
- extremely rich in content.
- very rich in content.
- moderately rich in content.
- somewhat rich in content.
- somewhat poor in content.
- moderately poor in content.
- very poor in content.
- extremely poor in content.
- How rich is the content of electronic mail? (How much information
must be processed all at once? How much information is available?)
- extremely rich in content.
- very rich in content.
- moderately rich in content.
- somewhat rich in content.
- somewhat poor in content.
- moderately poor in content.
- very poor in content.
- extremely poor in content.
- How rich is the content of memos/correspondence? (How much
information must be processed all at once? How much information is
available?)
- extremely rich in content.
- very rich in content.
- moderately rich in content.
- somewhat rich in content.
- somewhat poor in content.
- moderately poor in content.
- very poor in content.
- extremely poor in content.
- How rich is the content of broadcast television? (How much
information must be processed all at once? How much information is
available?)
- extremely rich in content.
- very rich in content.
- moderately rich in content.
- somewhat rich in content.
- somewhat poor in content.
- moderately poor in content.
- very poor in content.
- extremely poor in content.
- How rich is the content of computer conferencing'? (How much
information must be processed all at once? How much information is
available?)
- extremely rich in content.
- very rich in content.
- moderately rich in content.
- somewhat rich in content.
- somewhat poor in content.
- moderately poor in content.
- very poor in content.
- extremely poor in content.
- How rich is the content of face to face interaction? (How much
information must be processed all at once? How much information is
available?)
- extremely rich in content.
- very rich in content.
- moderately rich in content.
- somewhat rich in content.
- somewhat poor in content.
- moderately poor in content.
- very poor in content.
- extremely poor in content.
- How rich is the content of publications? (How much information
must be processed all at once? How much information is available?)
- extremely rich in content.
- very rich in content.
- moderately rich in content.
- somewhat rich in content.
- somewhat poor in content.
- moderately poor in content.
- very poor in content.
- extremely poor in content.
- How interactive are telephone conversations? (How easy is it to
reply to messages? How quickly can you reply? How quickly will the
reply be read? Does it allow conversation?)
- totally interactive.
- extremely interactive.
- very interactive.
- moderately interactive.
- somewhat interactive.
- a little bit interactive.
- not at all interactive.
- How interactive are publications? (How easy is it to reply to
messages? How quickly can you reply? How quickly will the reply be
read? Does it allow conversation?)
- totally interactive.
- extremely interactive.
- very interactive.
- moderately interactive.
- somewhat interactive.
- a little bit interactive.
- not at all interactive.
- How interactive is electronic mail? (How easy is it to reply to
messages? How quickly can you reply? How quickly will the reply be
read? Does it allow conversation?)
- totally interactive.
- extremely interactive.
- very interactive.
- moderately interactive.
- somewhat interactive.
- a little bit interactive.
- not at all interactive.
- How interactive is face to face interaction? (How easy is it to
reply to messages? How quickly can you reply? How quickly will the
reply be read? Does it allow conversation?)
- totally interactive.
- extremely interactive.
- very interactive.
- moderately interactive.
- somewhat interactive.
- a little bit interactive.
- not at all interactive.
- How interactive is broadcast television? (How easy is it to reply
to messages? How quickly can you reply? How quickly will the reply
be read? Does it allow conversation?)
- totally interactive.
- extremely interactive.
- very interactive.
- moderately interactive.
- somewhat interactive.
- a little bit interactive.
- not at all interactive.
- How interactive is computer conferencing? (How easy is it to
reply to messages? How quickly can you reply? How quickly will the
reply be read? Does it allow conversation?)
- totally interactive.
- extremely interactive.
- very interactive.
- moderately interactive.
- somewhat interactive.
- a little bit interactive.
- not at all interactive.
- How interactive are memos/correspondence? (How easy is it to
reply to messages? How quickly can you reply? How quickly will the
reply be read? Does it allow conversation?)
- totally interactive.
- extremely interactive.
- very interactive.
- moderately interactive.
- somewhat interactive.
- a little bit interactive.
- not at all interactive.
Your evaluation of IBMPC
- How valuable to you is the ability to ask specific questions on
the IBMPC conferencing system?
- Extremely Valuable
- Very Valuable
- Valuable
- Somewhat Valuable
- Not at all Valuable
- How valuable to you are the bug reports on IBMPC forums?
- Extremely Valuable
- Very Valuable
- Valuable
- Somewhat Valuable
- Not at all Valuable
- How valuable to you is the speedy resolution of problems on
IBMPC?'
- Extremely Valuable
- Very Valuable
- Valuable
- Somewhat Valuable
- Not at all Valuable
- How valuable to you is the ability to search the contents of IBMPC
for answers to questions?
- Extremely Valuable
- Very Valuable
- Valuable
- Somewhat Valuable
- Not at all Valuable
- How valuable to you are the product descriptions on the IBMPC
conferencing facility?
- Extremely Valuable
- Very Valuable
- Valuable
- Somewhat Valuable
- Not at all Valuable
- How valuable to you is the currentness of the information on
IBMPC?
- Extremely Valuable
- Very Valuable
- Valuable
- Somewhat Valuable
- Not at all Valuable
- How valuable to you are the technical discussions on IBMPC?
- Extremely Valuable
- Very Valuable
- Valuable
- Somewhat Valuable
- Not at all Valuable
- How valuable to you is the software on the PCTOOLS software
repository?
- Extremely Valuable
- Very Valuable
- Valuable
- Somewhat Valuable
- Not at all Valuable
- How valuable to you is the ability to keep up with IBM internal PC
information via IBMPC?
- Extremely Valuable
- Very Valuable
- Valuable
- Somewhat Valuable
- Not at all Valuable
- How valuable to you are the general discussions on the IBMPC
conferencing facility?
- Extremely Valuable
- Very Valuable
- Valuable
- Somewhat Valuable
- Not at all Valuable
- How valuable to you is the support for PCTOOLS software on IBMPC?
- Extremely Valuable
- Very Valuable
- Valuable
- Somewhat Valuable
- Not at all Valuable
- How valuable to you is the ability to generate new ideas on IBMPC
through peer discussion?
- Extremely Valuable
- Very Valuable
- Valuable
- Somewhat Valuable
- Not at all Valuable
- How valuable to you are local shadows of the IBMPC conferencing
facility?
- Extremely Valuable
- Very Valuable
- Valuable
- Somewhat Valuable
- Not at all Valuable
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility increased your knowledge of IBM?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility changed the way you do your job?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility isolated you from people who do not use IBMPC?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility aided the development of products?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility given you more freedom to choose your working hours?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility increased contacts with peers?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility provided software unavailable otherwise?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility allowed you to anticipate problems?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility improved your communication skills?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility increased contacts up and down the company hierarchy?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility allowed you to answer questions more quickly?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility improved your morale?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility resulted in a higher level of software support than is
usually available?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility increased your job-related knowledge?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility aided IBM's support of customers?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility increased contacts outside your immediate group?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility allowed you to find better answers to questions?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility changed the way you think?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility increased your productivity?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility reduced the amount of business travel you do?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- To what extent has your use of the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility allowed you to make a personal contribution to the company?
- Very Strong Impact
- Strong Impact
- Some Impact
- Little Impact
- No Impact
- What do you like most about the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility?
- What do you like least about the IBMPC computer conferencing
facility?
- Please tell us anything else you'd like about IBMPC: how it
compares to other conferences you use; how it is controlled and
regulated; changes you'd like to see; how you use IBMPC; how use of
IBMPC has affected you personally, etc:
You have completed the survey. Thank you very much for your efforts.
When you exit this panel, your answers to the questionnaire will be
saved to disk (in the current directory) under the name IBMPCSUR.OUT.
To return your answers, please upload the file IBMPCSUR.OUT as an
ascii file and send it electronically to userid:
FOULGER at YKTVMV
.
If you wish to review your answers before sending IBMPCSUR.OUT back,
run the survey program again. If you wish to expand on your comments,
please feel free to add them to IBMPCSUR.OUT before returning the
file.