E-cigarette entrepreneur takes on new industry’s bad rap

[Cool_Breeze]

I believe I saw it was around 7,600 to 7,800.

I'd consider participating in the survey if I can view the entire survey prior to embarking on answering it.

 

[kristin]

I'd consider participating in the survey if I can view the entire survey prior to embarking on answering it.

If you want to preview it using a fake name/email, just exit before answering the last question: "What negative health changes did you experience after first using e-cigarettes but THAT HAVE NOW GONE AWAY? (Choose all that apply; please include everything you experienced, even if you do not think it was caused by e-cigarettes.)" That will put it into the "incomplete" surveys and we won't use it in the results.

Just out of curiosity, do you require a preview of the entire survey for any survey you take?

 

[Cool_Breeze]

If you want to preview it using a fake name/email, just exit before answering the last question: "What negative health changes did you experience after first using e-cigarettes but THAT HAVE NOW GONE AWAY? (Choose all that apply; please include everything you experienced, even if you do not think it was caused by e-cigarettes.)" That will put it into the "incomplete" surveys and we won't use it in the results.

Just out of curiosity, do you require a preview of the entire survey for any survey you take?

Thank you, Kristin.

I like to know what I might be putting my energy into. The linear nature of online surveys sometimes... It would be nice to see in in some form of overview. : )

 

[pamdis]

That's the most absurd conspiracy theory yet, is 100% wrong, and only serves to divide tobacco harm reduction advocates (which only helps e-cig opponents).

Tobacco companies are getting into the e-cigarette business to compete against e-cig companies for revenues and market share to offset their huge declines in cigarette sales. As long as they can earn similar revenues and profit margins, every executive, attorney and shareholder at Lorillard, Reynolds and Altria strongly prefers selling very low risk e-cigarettes instead of lethal cigarettes to the same consumers.

Nobody has fought harder than me to oppose FDA regulations that would create an e-cigarette oligopoly and eliminate many smaller e-cig competitor products and companies, but there's no grand conspiracy by Big Tobacco (or by Big Government or by Big E-Cigarettes) to deprive vapers of e-liquid.

The problem is that e-cigarette consumers and companies that make/sell mods and e-liquid don't have the lawyers, lobbyists and public relations firms that Tobacco Control Inc, Big Tobacco, Big Government and some Big E-Cigarette companies have to influence policies in the Obama administration.

CASAA, AEMSA and other vaping groups have been urging FDA to not ban e-liquid, but CASAA and AEMSA are all volunteers, and don't even have paid employees.

We need to better organize more vapers (and e-liquid companies) to actively oppose an FDA regulatory ban on e-liquid.

I appreciate the sentiment you have expressed, but I think that is not likely to happen if the general public becomes substantially aware of e-cigarettes as we (vapers) understand them. A public highly aware of a viable alternative to smoking would not allow a return to the status quo of smoking. The trend of traditional smoking is one way.

I'm not saying it is a conspiracy or an intentional plan by BT, just cynical enough and been around long enough to know that's how big business works, regardless of the product.

I support everyone's efforts to fight this, am a CASAA member, and hope to be able to contribute financially in the near future. I know I can't fight it, but a big number of people all working together can. I appreciate all the hard work I see going into the fight from a lot of knowledgeable and especially effective communicators.

 

[kristin]

Thank you, Kristin.

I like to know what I might be putting my energy into. The linear nature of online surveys sometimes... It would be nice to see in in some form of overview. : )

This survey isn't very linear, as it has you skip stuff that doesn't apply to you, such as if you answer that you only use tobacco/menthol flavors it bypasses the questions on why you prefer non-tobacco/menthol flavors and what you would do should they be banned (paraphrasing). That is why it's kind of hard to just give an outline of this kind of survey.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

This survey isn't very linear, as it has you skip stuff that doesn't apply to you, such as if you answer that you only use tobacco/menthol flavors it bypasses the questions on why you prefer non-tobacco/menthol flavors and what you would do should they be banned (paraphrasing). That is why it's kind of hard to just give an outline of this kind of survey.

...Just out of curiosity, do you require a preview of the entire survey for any survey you take?

Why wouldn't a surveyor allow a preview?

I opted out of CASAA's survey where a plausible answer to a question would indicate intent of law breaking.

Previews are good for matters like that. : )

 

[kristin]

Well, that intent of law breaking is a very significant argument against regulations that would cause a black market. You are allowed to opt out - there is no requirement to answer questions or even to take the survey. I can't recall any surveys that I've taken that let you preview the whole thing ahead of time. I guess they figure if you don't like a question, don't answer it.

 

[mechanus]

I can't recall any surveys that I've taken that let you preview the whole thing ahead of time. I guess they figure if you don't like a question, don't answer it.

A little off topic, but it's usually part of the survey design (and sometimes a limitation of the survey platform). There's plenty of correlation between length of surveys and lower completion rates (or higher abandonment rates - take your pick on the spin). With a survey that has (multiple) decision tress, a single page/preview approach would make it seem longer than it really is, and would influence the respondent's decision to complete it or not. Time, length, and complexity (both in questions and the answers) all place a burden on the respondent and influence the quality of the answers and the commitment to complete.

We used to benchmark surveys before deploying them, looking for answer quality and variability at different estimated times (for example, at the 1:30 mark, at the 3 minute mark, 5 minute mark, and so on) to test for burden and predict completion. I'm glad I'm not number crunching that stuff anymore.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

Well, that intent of law breaking is a very significant argument against regulations that would cause a black market. You are allowed to opt out - there is no requirement to answer questions or even to take the survey. I can't recall any surveys that I've taken that let you preview the whole thing ahead of time. I guess they figure if you don't like a question, don't answer it.

As was found early in the survey, progress through it could be dependent upon answering certain, if not 'all offered' questions. Did you not comment that incomplete surveys were 'tossed out' of the aggregated results?

None-the-less, I find it disheartening the survey puts vapers in a position of compromise and implies the circumstances for vapers are so dire that it is necessary to threaten the powers that be with would-be law-breaking...but I'm not in the position to make those decisions...for others.

 

[kristin]

When we did the survey in 2010, a huge number of people commented that CASAA shouldn't have left out the option of black market. Most picked "other" and wrote it in. So, it's sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don't sort of thing with that question. But the respondent is not forced to choose that answer if that is not something they would do or if they don't want to admit it. If someone wanted to choose it then it is available and the option is there to be completely anonymous. But I respect anyone's decision not to take the survey.

Yes, incomplete surveys are "tossed out" when we do the final reporting, because that would skew the percentages of the unanswered questions if only partially answered surveys are included. But we'd only report the number of completed surveys, not the number of "started" surveys, as would any researcher. Of course, we are aware that this isn't a scientific survey - it is more like a consumer poll of a specific cohort (more advanced users). But the data we get will still be quite useful. We do realize that because we rushed getting it together, there are some issues with some questions that we are taking note of for next year's survey, which is already being worked on. We're learning as we go.

We have a 73% completion rate, which I think is pretty darned good for a first attempt with this new system and we had more respondents complete the survey in the first 2 days after launching than we had even after months with the 2010 survey. We've had over 3 times the participation this year and that is an amazing indication of both the growth of the e-cigarette community and CASAA membership!

 

[AgentAnia]

I was glad to see the black market option in the survey, as that is exactly how I'd respond to any ban on anything related to ecigs and am not reluctant to say so, anonymously as on the survey or publicly here on the forum. IMO, the survey would have been lacking without that option and the results would be meaningless.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

When we did the survey in 2010, a huge number of people commented that CASAA shouldn't have left out the option of black market. Most picked "other" and wrote it in. So, it's sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don't sort of thing with that question...

Thank you for the detailed explanation.

 

[2coils]

I was glad to see the black market option in the survey, as that is exactly how I'd respond to any ban on anything related to ecigs and am not reluctant to say so, anonymously as on the survey or publicly here on the forum. IMO, the survey would have been lacking without that option and the results would be meaningless.

Black Market is a reality if things don't go in favor of the consumers. It needs to be mentioned.

 

[Uma]

Backing up the thread a little bit, to the shopping experts counseling. It's not as easy as one thinks, to keep abreast of the latest and greatest. The industry advances so fast, it's overwhelming. They would need an expert in each field... Clearomizers, RBA, RDA, RCA, mechanical, variable volt, variable watt, combo vv/vw, carto tanks, drip tips, jwraps, clones, clones of clones, ...
I get stuck in one field researching, and before I know it, I'm oblivious to everything else. I end up being a beginner, every day! Always something new. And now there is talk of ultrasonic delivery systems, and so forth.
I imagine BT gave up a long time ago when they decided to focus on just one product to get out the door.
I can see how they'd be way behind the times, even if they do have a few shopping/marketing/competition experts on the payroll.

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

Backing up the thread a little bit, to the shopping experts counseling. It's not as easy as one thinks, to keep abreast of the latest and greatest. The industry advances so fast, it's overwhelming. They would need an expert in each field... Clearomizers, RBA, RDA, RCA, mechanical, variable volt, variable watt, combo vv/vw, carto tanks, drip tips, jwraps, clones, clones of clones, ...
I get stuck in one field researching, and before I know it, I'm oblivious to everything else. I end up being a beginner, every day! Always something new. And now there is talk of ultrasonic delivery systems, and so forth.
I imagine BT gave up a long time ago when they decided to focus on just one product to get out the door.
I can see how they'd be way behind the times, even if they do have a few shopping/marketing/competition experts on the payroll.

It's called the free market, when you have thousands of people thinking and trying different ideas and the only way to make good money from them is if they work and sell. It will be close to impossible to keep up with them and it's possibly the single biggest reason that BT would like to see regulation, they can't keep up with the modders.