Hah, guess they didn't realize who they included in their exclusive survey!

[Rocketpunk]

I just got this email this morning:

Sinclair tobacco-Free Campus Survey - Students - -
Please Complete by October 30^th!

Hello Sinclair Student,

Sinclair is interested in knowing the opinions of its students regarding the use of tobacco and tobacco-related products on the grounds of Sinclair College. You are part of a select group randomly selected to receive the survey and as such, your feedback is very important. All survey responses are anonymous and results will only be reviewed in aggregate.

Please assist us by providing your opinions. The survey will take less than 5 minutes to complete.

The Survey:
https://websurvey.sinclair.edu/scrixts/rws5.pl?FORM=2013_Smoke_Free_Students

Thank you in advance for your participation!

Mary
Mary Tripp Gaier, PhD | Vice President for Organizational Development
Sinclair Community College | 444 West Third Street Dayton, OH 45402

I completed the survey, and in the bottom there was a field for further comments. I wrote about my experience using electronic cigarettes and how banning them on campus would directly affect me in more ways than one. I offered more information. Hopefully that will spark some debate at school! I would love to sit in on a panel!

 

[Recycled Roadkill]

The fact that they're called electronic cigarettes isn't helping acceptance of this practice at all.

 

[InTheClouds]

To bad we don't have passwords!! Can you imagine all the folks here that would fill out the survey

 

[Rocketpunk]

The fact that they're called electronic cigarettes isn't helping acceptance of this practice at all.

Might as well accept it. You're posting in the Electronic Cigarette Forum. The name may be a misnomer but it's never going to go away.

 

[Ryedan]

The fact that they're called electronic cigarettes isn't helping acceptance of this practice at all.

I agree with Rocketpunk, that name is not going anywhere. Besides, I doubt a different name would any difference at all.

 

[Rickb119]

Maybe we should call it an Electric Cigarette. After all, look what the word electric did for the Chevy Volt! Oh, wait a minute..........Never mind.

 

[cmdebrecht]

I agree with Rocketpunk, that name is not going anywhere. Besides, I doubt a different name would any difference at all.

I agree.

If anything, a different name would cause more confusion. Until e-cigs become more mainstream, people will have more questions and suspicions about personal vaporizers or whatever they might be called.

The best we can do is share our positive experiences with smokers and non-smokers alike in an effort to educate them all.

 

[DebbieF]

I agree with Rocketpunk, that name is not going anywhere. Besides, I doubt a different name would any difference at all.

I wish I could agree with you, but there is a reason everyone from brand managers to politicians put a lot of money, time and effort into naming products/issues -- a name does make a difference. I posted this under a different thread, but I highly encourage you read up on this topic. I recommend The Political Mind by George Lakoff, but there are others that will provide perspective. The Political Mind has a lot of great information (included examples and research studies) illustrating how language can make a huge difference in how people feel about something.

By associating the PV with the cigarette, we do increase familiarity. That's good when you want to convert smokers, good when you want to position a product, and unfortunate when you want the public to understand the dangers (or lack thereof). We ex-smokers are highly motivated to find the reasons why vaping is better and less harmful than smoking, but the general public is motivated to keep any potential danger away.

 

[Ryedan]

I agree with you Debbie, but it's not that simple.

Downside is the name e cig gives people the idea they are as bad as cigs. The upside is a lot more people have adopted vaping. That means our numbers are higher and that gives us more clout with government and business.

Which scenario is better for us? IMO that's unknown. It's definitely a tradeoff.

And there is still the point that there is likely nothing we can do about it anyway.

 

[Chas F.]

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around calling my PV a binkie.

 

[Recycled Roadkill]

The fact that they're called electronic cigarettes isn't helping acceptance of this practice at all.

Might as well accept it. You're posting in the Electronic Cigarette Forum. The name may be a misnomer but it's never going to go away.

I agree with Rocketpunk, that name is not going anywhere. Besides, I doubt a different name would any difference at all.

I'm fine with the e-cig and it's name. It's those that have little to no understanding of what one is where the problem is and that was the point of my post. But I'll refer to it as a PV if for nothing else because that's what it actually is.

 

[madqatter]

When people ask me about it, I use the term "personal vaporizer." I will not use "electronic cigarette" or "e-cig" without some contextual pressure and qualification (e.g. "you may have heard of 'e-cigarettes,' but it's a misnomer because there is no smoke, etc.").

 

[EvilZoe]

I just feel stupid referring to my Provari and giant Hypertank as an e cigarette. It doesn't remotely resemble a cigarette....lol

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

I wish I could agree with you, but there is a reason everyone from brand managers to politicians put a lot of money, time and effort into naming products/issues -- a name does make a difference. I posted this under a different thread, but I highly encourage you read up on this topic. I recommend The Political Mind by George Lakoff, but there are others that will provide perspective. The Political Mind has a lot of great information (included examples and research studies) illustrating how language can make a huge difference in how people feel about something.

By associating the PV with the cigarette, we do increase familiarity. That's good when you want to convert smokers, good when you want to position a product, and unfortunate when you want the public to understand the dangers (or lack thereof). We ex-smokers are highly motivated to find the reasons why vaping is better and less harmful than smoking, but the general public is motivated to keep any potential danger away.

This post is full of truth. Even using the phrase tobacco harm reduction has the same double-edged consequences. E-cigs make for an effective harm reduction measure but we're still faced with a majority non-smoking public that knows little about the devices and has no motivation to learn on their own.

It's fortunate that Rocketpunk landed in the random sample for the survey. While the results will only be examined in their aggregate, even having that blip show up on the chart is a good thing.