Surveys are great bread-and-butter aspects for many event planners. But it’s important to consider when you’re doing the surveying.

And it might not be a good idea to simply do it after the event. A pair of recent posts on the matter, one from Business 2 Community and another from the Event Manager Blog, make the case for real-time feedback.

In her Business 2 Community post, Jana Barrett suggests the importance of asking different kinds of questions at different stages of the event, highlighting the success that Salesforce has with this approach during its annual Dreamforce conference.

“Salesforce sent surveys to attendees during and after Dreamforce. Throughout the conference, they used event surveys to generate attendee feedback after breakout and partner theater sessions,” she explained. “Three weeks after Dreamforce, they also emailed a post-event survey to attendees.”

This heavy feedback loop, Barrett says, creates a whole bunch of data for the company to work with.

And, at the Event Manager Blog, Ticketbud’s Sean Burke says that Walt Disney World is picking up a lot of data in real time through the use of its RFID-based wristbands—and such strategies should be borrowed during events as well. One key element that he recommends is relying on passive surveying, which involves pulling information from user actions rather than asking them questions—and boosts the data’s accuracy.

“Most human psychology studies have come to the conclusion that people tend to act with their emotions, and then rationalize their choice with logic,” Burke writes. “People will even answer questions regarding their likes and dislikes, and then prove themselves wrong during their daily lives. Don’t saddle yourself with people answering questions just because they have to—learn through the event app!”

When it comes to data, that’s a lot of food for thought.

Get Live Quicker

If you're a fan of Facebook Live, you might like this new feature on Twitter: https://t.co/LFZTkE4npc #assnchat #socialmediamarketing

— MemberClicks (@MemberClicks) January 5, 2017

A few years ago, it was common for Twitter to launch new networks to play with ideas like live video or looping clips. But the company seems to be more focused on integrating those features into its app these days.

And that, argues MemberClicks’ Callie Walker, could prove a game-changer on the video front. The company is adding a new live-video button to its apps, effectively removing a step that would previously have been covered by Periscope.

“Now you might be thinking, how is this any different than Facebook Live, aside from the platform? Well that’s just it: It’s the platform that’s different, and that alone can have a major impact,” Walker writes in a blog post.

It’s not the only Periscope upgrade it’s made recently, however. Last month, the company added a flash of 360-degree video streaming to the platform.

Other Links of Note

Gigs are growing: Fast Company highlights the shifting nature of the gig economy in 2017.

App Store record: Collectively, Apple’s App Store is doing very well. According to The Verge, the company made $3 billion in revenue on the service last month, an all-time record.

Take this quiz: In case you’re wondering how your member database management stacks up, this quiz on the Wild Apricot blog, created by Effective Database Management’s Wes Trochlil, should help get you going.

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