Within the growing world of online customer communities, some endeavors are more successful and vibrant than others. We at Communispace wondered how the traditional notion of “survey fatigue” would translate to online communities, and if it might have an impact on which communities continue to thrive. Is there a need to limit the number of activities fielded during a given time frame—as traditional panels often do—in order to maintain high response rates? Do members get easily overwhelmed and “tune out,” or are they hungry for more to do? Most critically, is there something special about the culture of online communities that gives sponsoring companies the “right” to ask more of their members—many of whom were recruited from panels—and to expect more in return?

In this brief report, we present research that suggests companies—by being thoughtful about type, balance,relevance, and ingenuity of activities—can survey community members frequently and still achieve robust response rates. In particular, findings suggest that “survey fatigue” is less likely to occur when companies create a culture of participation.