New Requester Needs Some Help!

m1129

New Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Age
32
Gender
Male
Good afternoon everyone. I’m relatively new to the MTurk platform and I want to get some information about how to properly publishing a HIT with software installation as part of the task. Any help is appreciated.

In the task, I need the worker to install a Chrome extension that I have developed for my research project. The worker will then need to use their Facebook for a certain amount of time with the extension installed. Then they will be asked to complete a survey, then they can remove the extension from their browser.

From this information, what are certain steps that I need to do to ensure that the task can be executed effectively and without violating any rules of MTurk? What information do I need to provide to the workers in the HIT description? I vaguely remember that asking workers to install software may not be an available option.
 

jan

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Jan 12, 2016
Messages
25,793
Reaction score
49,502
Points
1,463
Gender
Female
Good afternoon everyone. I’m relatively new to the MTurk platform and I want to get some information about how to properly publishing a HIT with software installation as part of the task. Any help is appreciated.

In the task, I need the worker to install a Chrome extension that I have developed for my research project. The worker will then need to use their Facebook for a certain amount of time with the extension installed. Then they will be asked to complete a survey, then they can remove the extension from their browser.

From this information, what are certain steps that I need to do to ensure that the task can be executed effectively and without violating any rules of MTurk? What information do I need to provide to the workers in the HIT description? I vaguely remember that asking workers to install software may not be an available option.
asking workers to use their facebook page would violate TOS (personally identifiable information)
 

m1129

New Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Age
32
Gender
Male
asking workers to use their facebook page would violate TOS (personally identifiable information)
Thank you for your response. I do not believe that this HIT will violate TOS and here is some more information about the HIT.

The extension that I developed does not collect any personal information from the workers’ accounts. No email address, messages, comments, likes, groups, or friend lists are accessed. All the extension does is extract the links that the workers see on their newsfeeds and generate surveys regarding those links for the workers to respond to, such as what is the relationship between them and the friends/pages that share those links and their personal interests/behaviors. Furthermore, the collected data (links and the workers’ responses regarding the links) will be anonymized and congregated for the analysis.

With this additional information, do you think it will still violate TOS?
 

jan

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Jan 12, 2016
Messages
25,793
Reaction score
49,502
Points
1,463
Gender
Female
Thank you for your response. I do not believe that this HIT will violate TOS and here is some more information about the HIT.

The extension that I developed does not collect any personal information from the workers’ accounts. No email address, messages, comments, likes, groups, or friend lists are accessed. All the extension does is extract the links that the workers see on their newsfeeds and generate surveys regarding those links for the workers to respond to, such as what is the relationship between them and the friends/pages that share those links and their personal interests/behaviors. Furthermore, the collected data (links and the workers’ responses regarding the links) will be anonymized and congregated for the analysis.

With this additional information, do you think it will still violate TOS?
Our thoughts (we've been discussing) is that it might not violate TOS (it used to). But keep in mind, many people won't do that HIT. I wouldn't do it. So, your sample will be skewed to a population of workers that are pretty dependent on mturk (I would think). Also, you might get folks who are using a 'work' facebook account (rather than the one they use with friends).
 

m1129

New Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Age
32
Gender
Male
Our thoughts (we've been discussing) is that it might not violate TOS (it used to). But keep in mind, many people won't do that HIT. I wouldn't do it. So, your sample will be skewed to a population of workers that are pretty dependent on mturk (I would think). Also, you might get folks who are using a 'work' facebook account (rather than the one they use with friends).
I see. Do you think there is a way for me to encourage people to participate? Like what kind of information do I need to include? What pay rate should I have for the HIT?

You have brought up a great point about people using a Facebook account that they are not using socially. Thank you for that. That is something that I need to discuss with my advisor to see if something we need to do regarding that.
 

SarahAshlee90

Well-Known Member
Crowd Pleaser
Joined
Mar 4, 2016
Messages
2,781
Reaction score
5,294
Points
963
Age
33
Gender
Female
I see. Do you think there is a way for me to encourage people to participate? Like what kind of information do I need to include? What pay rate should I have for the HIT?

You have brought up a great point about people using a Facebook account that they are not using socially. Thank you for that. That is something that I need to discuss with my advisor to see if something we need to do regarding that.
When workers see they are required to use Facebook they will report it as violating TOS even if it does not. This could hurt your account standing with Amazon.
 

m1129

New Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Age
32
Gender
Male
When workers see they are required to use Facebook they will report it as violating TOS even if it does not. This could hurt your account standing with Amazon.
That's lovely. :cry:
 

jan

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Jan 12, 2016
Messages
25,793
Reaction score
49,502
Points
1,463
Gender
Female
I see. Do you think there is a way for me to encourage people to participate? Like what kind of information do I need to include? What pay rate should I have for the HIT?

You have brought up a great point about people using a Facebook account that they are not using socially. Thank you for that. That is something that I need to discuss with my advisor to see if something we need to do regarding that.
https://www.alterspark.com/blog/usi...0-million-facebook-profiles-manipulate-people

FWIW, I remember these HITS and didn't do them :wink:
 

m1129

New Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Age
32
Gender
Male
Oh wow, that's awful that someone abused MTurk platform like that.

My study is obviously not going to do that. But I guess this incident, as well as Cambridge Analytica, has left a bad taste in people's mouths regarding any study with Facebook, despite my willingness to share all the important details about my work and my intentions. It's great to hear that I've spent the last year working on this project that is going to be my main work for my dissertation to pretty much canceled before it even started. ?
 

jan

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Jan 12, 2016
Messages
25,793
Reaction score
49,502
Points
1,463
Gender
Female
Oh wow, that's awful that someone abused MTurk platform like that.

My study is obviously not going to do that. But I guess this incident, as well as Cambridge Analytica, has left a bad taste in people's mouths regarding any study with Facebook, despite my willingness to share all the important details about my work and my intentions. It's great to hear that I've spent the last year working on this project that is going to be my main work for my dissertation to pretty much canceled before it even started. ?
Not everyone would remember that (I don't think it needs to be in your Lit Review). But it sure did happen.