Method and apparatus for automating the conduct of surveys over a network system

• US 6,477,504 B1
• Filed: 03/02/1998
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dynamiclogic, LLC
• Original Assignee: IX LLC
• Inventors: Hamlin, Charles B., Smith, LeRoy Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Voeltz, Emanuel Todd
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alvarez, Raquel
• Application Number:
  US09/034,774
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/10, 705/7, 345/333, 345/524, 364/710.07, 364/468.16, 364/468.15, 710/10, 710/102, 710/506, 710/507, 707/506, 707/104, 707/507, 348/1, 348/2, 455/2, 709/217
• US Class Current: 705/7.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automating surveys over a network system causes an interface to be displayed to a particular client of the network system. This interface can be used by the particular client to define a survey. In response to the client interacting with the interface, a sequence of steps is automatically performed. The sequence of steps includes generating a survey based on information received over the network system from the particular client interacting with the interface; fielding the survey to a group of target users on the network system; gathering results of from network users participating in the survey; and providing the particular client, over said network system, with data that reflects the results of the survey.

Claims

1. A method for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining, on a computer readable medium electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;

causing an interface to be displayed at a particular client of said network system, wherein the interface allows a user of said particular client to define a survey;

after causing the interface to be displayed, and in response to the user interacting with said interface displayed at said particular client, performing the step of creating a survey at a server that is romotely located from said particular client based on information received over said network system from said interface;

after maintaining the electronic information, using the automated survey system to read said electronic information;

after reading said electronic information, based on said electronic information, said automated survey system identifying one or more target resources into which to embed links to said survey;

wherein the one or more target resources are located at locations that are remote relative to said automated survey system and accessible to said automated survey system over said network system; and

after the automated survey system identifies the one or more target resources, the automated survey system inviting participation in said survey by causing one or more links to said survey to be embedded in said one or more target resources, to allow users of said network to request participation in said survey by accessing one of said target resources over said network and activating said link in said one of said target resources.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of causing an interface to be displayed includes the step of sending interface data over said network to said particular client from said server in response from a request from said particular client.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface includes the step of sending interface data that contains one or more question types, wherein said user of said particular client may define the survey by selecting questions from the one or more question types.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface includes the step of sending interface data that contains one or more predefined responses wherein said user of said particular client may define the survey by selecting responses from the one or more provided responses.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface includes the step of sending interface data that allows said user of said particular client to define the survey by dynamically specifying one or more questions.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface includes the step of sending interface data that allows said user of said particular client to define the survey by dynamically specifying one or more responses, wherein the one or more responses represent selectable response choices in the survey.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface includes the step of sending interface data that allows said user of said particular client to define the survey using graphical, audio, or video representations or objects.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface includes the step of sending interface data that allows said user of said particular client to include branching in the survey, wherein the branching defines whether certain questions will be presented to a survey taker based on one or more prior responses given by the survey taker.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface further includes the step of allowing said user of said particular client to define a survey response number, wherein the survey response number represents a specific number of people that the particular client requires to respond to the survey.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface further includes the step of allowing said user of said particular client to define a survey response time, wherein the survey response time represents a specific duration that the survey is to be fielded over the network.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface further includes the step of allowing said user of said particular client to define a particular target group, wherein the particular target group identifies a group of users that the particular client would like to respond to the survey.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating the survey includes the step of creating the survey as one or more electronic document pages, wherein network users may interact with the electronic document pages to participate in the survey.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating the survey further includes the step of generating a database, wherein the database is used to store the results from network users who participate in the survey.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, from the particular client, data that specifies a particular set of criteria; and

wherein the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the step of attaching, to Web pages that have content of particular interest to network users that satisfy said particular set of criteria, a link to said survey.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, from the particular client, data that specifies a particular set of criteria; and

wherein the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the step of attaching to Web pages delivered over said network a link to said survey, wherein said Web pages include information specifying said particular set of criteria.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

identifying a group of network users who should take the survey; and

wherein the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the step of requesting that a banner that is linked to the survey be launched at one or more particular locations that are selected based on the identified group of users.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

identifying a group of users that should take the survey;

defining a banner based on the identified group, wherein the banner solicits the group of users to participate in the survey; and

wherein the step of identifying one or more target resources includes the step of determining one or more locations on the network system to launch the banner.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of determining the one or more locations on the network system to launch the banner includes the step of determining the one or more locations based on a static mapping from the identified group to particular locations on the network system.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of determining the one or more locations on the network system to launch the banner includes the step of determining the one or more locations by dynamically selecting locations on the network system for launching the banners based on a particular target group.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating the survey includes the step of dynamically generating a survey price, wherein the survey price is based upon survey parameters selected by the particular client.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating the survey includes the step of allowing the particular client to securely enter payment information over said network.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating the survey further includes the steps of:

determining the appropriateness of the survey contents; and

if the survey contents are appropriate, then approving the survey for fielding on the network system.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating the survey further includes the step of generating response validation rules, wherein the response validation rules ensure the logical consistency of information provided by network users who participate in the survey.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the steps of:

identifying a group of network users who should take the survey; and

offering an incentive for network users in the identified group to participate in the survey.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the steps of:

identifying a group of network users who should take the survey; and

automatically distributing incentives to network users in the identified group who participate in the survey.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the steps of:

examining the number of responses received from a group of network users who should take the survey;

determining if additional responses from the group of network users who should take the survey are required; and

if no additional responses are required, then requesting that banners that are linked to the survey be removed from the network system.

27. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

receiving target characteristic information from said client over said network; and

wherein the step of identifying one or more target locations on said network includes the step of selecting said one or more target locations based on said target characteristic information.

28. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

identifying a group of target users for inviting participation in said survey; and

wherein the step of determining one or more target locations on said network includes the step of determining said one or more locations on said network based on one or more characteristics of said group of target users.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the step of identifying one or more target locations on said network includes the step of selecting one or more Web pages, wherein said one or more Web pages are accessible over said network; and

the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the step of causing said one or more links to be embedded is said one or more Web pages.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the step of identifying one or more target locations on said network includes the step of identifying one or more Web pages, wherein said one or more Web pages are accessible over said network; and

the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the step of causing one or more banners that include a link to said survey to be embedded in said one or more Web pages.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of causing one or more links to said survey to be embedded in said one or more target resources includes the step of causing one or more banners to be embedded in said one or more target resources, wherein said one or more banners include said one or more links to said survey.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the electronic information is a static mapping between locations on said network system and target groups; and

the step of identifying one or more target resources includes

selecting one or more locations on said network system based on said static mapping; and

identifying target resources at one or more locations.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the electronic information is information about potential survey takers; and

the method includes the step of determining whether a particular potential survey taker should take said survey based on said electronic information; and

the step of identifying one or more target resources includes identifying a resource that is requested by said particular potential survey taker.

34. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

said automated survey system gathering results of said survey; and

providing, to said particular client over said network system, data that reflects said results.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of gathering results of said survey includes the steps of:

automatically sending the results over the network system to a storage unit; and

storing the results in the storage unit.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein:

the step of automatically sending the results over the network system to the storage unit includes the steps of sending the results over the network system to a database; and

the step of storing the results in the storage unit includes the steps storing the results in the database.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of providing data that reflects said results includes the steps of delivering to said particular client over said network system a set of compiled statistics based on said survey results.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of providing data that reflects said results includes the step of posting the data at one or more particular locations on the network system, wherein the particular client can access information located at the one or more particular locations.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of providing data that reflects said results includes the steps of:

extracting the results from a storage unit;

creating a comma separated value file (CSVF) based on the results; and

sending the CSVF to said particular client over the network system.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of providing data that reflects said results further includes the steps of providing the particular client with real-time result information, wherein the real-time result information reflects the results obtained from network users that have participated in the survey at a particular point in time.

41. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of providing data that reflects said results includes the steps of:

extracting the results from a storage unit;

creating a spreadsheet compatible file based on the results; and

sending the spreadsheet compatible file to the particular client over the network system.

42. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of providing data that reflects said results includes the steps of:

extracting the results from a storage unit;

creating graphical representations of the survey results; and

sending the graphical representations to said particular client over the network system.

43. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the one or more sequences of one or more instructions including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

maintaining, on a computer-readable medium, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;

causing an interface to be displayed at a particular client of said network system, wherein the interface allows a user of said particular client to define a survey;

after causing the interface to be displayed, and in response to the user interacting with said interface displayed at said particular client, performing the steps of;

creating a survey at a server that is remotely located from said particular client based on information received over said network system from said interface;

after maintaining the electronic information, using an automated survey system to read said electronic information;

after reading said electronic information, based on said electronic information, said automated survey system identifying one or more target resources into which to embed links to said survey;

wherein the one or more target resources are located at locations that are remote relative to said automated survey system and accessible to said automated survey system over said network system;

after the automated survey system identifies the one or more target resources, the automated survey system inviting participation in said survey by causing one or more links to said survey to be embedded in said one or more target resources to allow users of said network to request participation in said survey by accessing one of said target resources over said network and activating said link in said one of said target resources.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the step of causing an interface to be displayed includes the step of sending interface data over said network to said particular client from said server in response from a request from said particular client.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface further includes instructions for performing the step of allowing said user of said particular client to define a particular target group, wherein the particular target group identifies a group of users that the particular client would like to respond to the survey.

46. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, wherein the step of creating the survey further includes instructions for performing the step of generating response validation rules, wherein the response validation rules ensure the logical consistency of information provided by network users who participate in the survey.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface includes the step of sending interface data that contains one or more question types, wherein said user of said particular client may define the survey by selecting questions from the one or more question types.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface further includes instructions for performing the step of allowing said user of said particular client to define a survey response number, wherein the survey response number represents a specific number of people that the particular client requires to respond to the survey.

49. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the step of creating the survey further includes instructions for performing the step of generating a database, wherein the database is used to store the results from network users who participate in the survey.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, further comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving, from the particular client, data that specifies a particular set of criteria; and

wherein the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the step of attaching to Web pages delivered over said network a link to said survey, wherein said Web pages include information specifying said particular set of criteria.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, further comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

identifying a group of network users who should take the survey; and

wherein the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the step of requesting that a banner that is linked to the survey be launched at one or more particular locations that are selected based on the identified group of users.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, further comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

identifying a group of users that should take the survey;

defining a banner based on the identified group, wherein the banner solicits the group of users to participate in the survey; and

wherein the step of identifying one or more target resources includes the step of determining one or more locations on the network system to launch the banner.

53. The computer-readable medium of claim 43, wherein the step of creating the survey further includes instruction for performing the steps of:

determining the appropriateness of the survey contents; and

if the survey contents are appropriate,

approving the survey for fielding on the network system.

54. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 further comprising instructions for performing the step of:

receiving target characteristic information from said client over said network; and

wherein the step of identifying one or more target locations on said network includes the step of selecting said one or more target locations based on said target characteristic information.

55. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 further comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

identifying a group of target users for inviting participation in said survey; and

wherein the step of determining one or more target locations on said network includes the step of determining said one or more locations on said network based on one or more characteristics of said group of target users.

56. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 wherein:

the step of identifying one or more target locations on said network includes the step of selecting one or more Web pages, wherein said one or more Web pages are accessible over said network; and

the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the step of causing said one or more links to be embedded is said one or more Web pages.

57. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 wherein:

the step of identifying one or more target locations on said network includes the step of identifying one or more Web pages, wherein said one or more Web pages are accessible over said network; and

the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the step of causing one or more banners that include a link to said survey to be embedded in said one or more Web pages.

58. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 further including instructions for performing the steps of:

said automated survey system gathering results of said survey; and

providing, to said particular client over said network system, data that reflects said results.

59. The computer-readable medium of claim 58, wherein the step of gathering results of said survey includes the steps of:

automatically sending the results over the network system to a storage unit; and

storing the results in the storage unit.

60. The computer-readable medium of claim 59, wherein:

the step of automatically sending the results over the network system to the storage unit includes the steps of sending the results over the network system to a database; and

the step of storing the results in the storage unit includes the steps storing the results in the database.

61. The computer-readable medium of claim 58, wherein the step of providing data that reflects said results includes the steps of delivering to said particular client over said network system a set of compiled statistics based on said survey results.

62. The computer-readable medium of claim 58, wherein the step of providing data that reflects said results includes the step of posting the data at one or more particular locations on the network system, wherein the particular clients can access information located at the one or more particular locations.

63. A method for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining, on storage accessible to said automated survey system, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;

receiving from a plurality of clients, over said network system, first information that defines surveys and second information that defines characteristics of desired survey takers, wherein said second information does not specify any specific individuals or any group of specific individuals;

creating surveys at a server that is remotely located from said plurality of clients based on said first information;

after maintaining the electronic information and receiving said second information, using said automated survey system to read said electronic information and said second information;

after the automated survey system reads the electronic information and the second information, based on said electronic information and said second information, said automated survey system automatically inviting participation in said surveys by performing the following steps for the survey of each particular client of said plurality of clients;

using said second information and said electronic information to determine where to field said survey; and

after using the second information and the electronic information to determine where to field said survey, fielding said survey as determined based on said second information and said electronic information.

64. The method of claim 63 further comprising the step of causing an interface to be displayed at said particular client, wherein the interface allows a user of said particular client to define a survey, wherein the automated survey system receives the first information in response to user interaction with the interface.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein the step of causing an interface to be displayed includes the step of sending interface data over said network to said particular client from said server in response from a request from said particular client.

66. The method of claim 65, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface includes the step of sending interface data that contains one or more question types, wherein said user of said particular client may define the survey by selecting questions from the one or more question types.

67. The method of claim 65, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface further includes the step of allowing said user of said particular client to define a survey response number, wherein the survey response number represents a specific number of people that the particular client requires to respond to the survey.

68. The method of claim 65, wherein the step of sending interface data that specifies the interface further includes the step of allowing said user of said particular client to define a particular target group, wherein the particular target group identifies a group of users that the particular client would like to respond to the survey.

69. The method of claim 65, wherein the step of creating the survey further includes the step of generating response validation rules, wherein the response validation rules ensure the logical consistency of information provided by network users who participate in the survey.

70. The method of claim 64, wherein the step of creating the survey further includes the step of generating a database, wherein the database is used to store the results from network users who participate in the survey.

71. The method of claim 64, wherein the step of creating the survey further includes the steps of:

determining the appropriateness of the survey contents; and

if the survey contents are appropriate,

approving the survey for fielding on the network system.

72. The method of claim 63, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, from the particular client, data that specifies a particular set of criteria; and

wherein the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the step of attaching to Web pages delivered over said network a link to said survey, wherein said Web pages include information specifying said particular set of criteria.

73. The method of claim 63, further comprising the steps of:

identifying a group of network users who should take the survey; and

wherein the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the step of requesting that a banner that is linked to the survey be launched at one or more particular locations that are selected based on the identified group of users.

74. The method of claim 63, further comprising the steps of:

identifying a group of users that should take the survey;

defining a banner based on the identified group, wherein the banner solicits the group of users to participate in the survey; and

wherein the step of identifying one or more target resources includes the step of determining one or more locations on the network system to launch the banner.

75. The method of claim 63 further comprising the steps of:

gathering results of said survey; and

providing, to said particular client over said network system, data that reflects said results.

76. The method of claim 75, wherein the step of gathering results of said survey includes the steps of:

automatically sending the results over the network system to a storage unit; and

storing the results in the storage unit.

77. The method of claim 76, wherein:

the step of automatically sending the results over the network system to the storage unit includes the steps of sending the results over the network system to a database; and

the step of storing the results in the storage unit includes the steps storing the results in the database.

78. The method of claim 75, wherein the step of providing data that reflects said results includes the steps of delivering to said particular client over said network system a set of compiled statistics based on said survey results.

79. The method of claim 75, wherein the step of providing data that reflects said results includes the step of posting the data at one or more particular locations on the network system, wherein the particular client can access information located at the one or more particular locations.

80. The computer system of claim 63 further comprising the steps of:

identifying a group of target users for inviting participation in said survey; and

wherein the step of determining one or more target locations on said network includes the step of determining said one or more locations on said network based on one or more characteristics of said group of target users.

81. The computer system of claim 63 wherein:

the step of identifying one or more target locations on said network includes the step of selecting one or more Web pages, wherein said one or more Web pages are accessible over said network; and

the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the step of causing said one or more links to be embedded is said one or more Web pages.

82. The method of claim 63 wherein the step of inviting participation includes:

identifying one or more Web pages, wherein said one or more Web pages are accessible over said network; and

causing one or more banners that include a link to said survey to be embedded in said one or more Web pages.

83. A method for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining, on a computer readable medium, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;

causing an interface to be displayed at a particular client of said network system, wherein the interface allows a user of said particular client to define a survey;

after causing the interface to be displayed, and in response to a user interacting with said interface displayed at said particular client, the automated survey system automatically performing the steps of;

creating the survey based on information received over said network system from said interface;

after maintaining the electronic information, using the automated survey system to read said electronic information;

after reading said electronic information, based on said electronic information, said automated survey system identifying one or more target locations on said network, wherein said one or more target locations are associated with one or more target resources;

after identifying the one or more target locations, inviting participation in said survey by causing one or more links to said survey to be embedded in said one or more target resources to allow users of said network to request participation in said survey by accessing one of said target resources over said network and activating said link in said one of said target resources;

after the automated survey system invites participation in said survey, gathering results of said survey at a server that is remotely located from said client and generating therefrom a set of compiled statistics at said server; and

after generating the set of compiled statistics, delivering said set of compiled statistics to said particular client over said network system.

84. The method of claim 83 further comprising the step of:

receiving target characteristic information from said client over said network; and

wherein the step of identifying one or more target locations on said network includes the step of selecting said one or more target locations based on said target characteristic information.

85. A method for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining, on a computer readable medium, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;

causing an interface to be displayed at a particular client of said network system, wherein the interface allows a user of said particular client to define a survey and to specify characteristics of a target group for participating in the survey without identifying individual members of said target group;

after causing the interface to be displayed, and in response to a user interacting with said interface displayed at said particular client, the automated survey system automatically performing the steps of;

creating the survey based on information received from said interface;

after maintaining the electronic information, using the automated survey system to read said electronic information;

after reading said electronic information, based on said electronic information and said characteristics specified by said user, said automated survey system identifying one or more target locations on said network; and

after identifying the one or more target locations, inviting participation in said survey by causing a link to said survey to be presented at said one or more target locations on said network.

86. The method of claim 85, wherein:

the step of identifying one or more target locations includes the step of identifying one or more Web pages that are located at said one or more target locations; and

the step of inviting participation in said survey includes the step of causing a link to said survey to be accessible from said one or more Web pages.

87. A computer-readable medium carrying instructions for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the instructions including instructions for performing the steps of:

maintaining, on a computer readable medium, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;

causing an interfere to be displayed at a particular client of said network system, wherein the interface allows a user of said particular client to define a survey;

after causing the interface to be displayed, and in response to a user interacting wit said interface displayed at said particular client, the automated survey system automatically performing the steps of

creating the survey based on information received over said network system from said interface;

after maintaining the electronic information, using the automated survey system to read said electronic information;

after reading said electronic information, based on said electronic information, said automated survey system identifying one or more target locations on said network, wherein said one or more target locations are associated with one or more target resources;

after identifying the one or more target locations, inviting participation in said survey by causing one or more links to said survey to be embedded in said one or more target resources to allow users of said network to request participation in said survey by accessing one of said target resources over said network and activating said link in said one of said target resources;

after the automated survey system invites participation in the survey, gathering results of said survey at a server that is remotely located from said client and generating therefrom a set of compiled statistics at said server, and

after generating the set of compiled statistics, delivering said set of compiled statistics to said particular client over said network system.

88. A computer-readable medium carrying instructions for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the instructions comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

maintaining, on a computer readable medium, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;

causing an interface to be displayed at a particular client of said network system, wherein the interface allows a user of said particular client to define a survey and to specify characteristics of a target group for participating in the survey without identifying individual members of said target group;

after causing the interface to be displayed, and in response to a user interacting with said interface displayed at said particular client, the automated survey system automatically performing the steps of

creating the survey based on information received from said interface;

after maintaining the electronic information, using the automated survey system to read said electronic information;

after reading said electronic information, based on said electronic information and said characteristics specified by said user, said automated survey system identifying one or more target locations on said network; and

after identifying one or more target locations, inviting participation in said survey by causing a link to said survey to be presented at said one or more target locations on said network.

89. A method for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining, on a computer readable medium, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;

receiving at the automated survey system, over the network system, information that specifies characteristics about desired takers of a survey without specifying any specific individual or group of specified individuals;

after receiving the information that specifies characteristics, the automated survey system automatically inviting users of said network system to participate in the survey by performing the steps of;

after maintaining the electronic information, using the automated survey system to read said electronic information;

after reading said electronic information, based on said electronic information and said information that specifies characteristics, the automated survey system selecting resources into which to embed links to an electronic version of the survey; and

after the automated survey system selects resources into which to embed links, the automated survey system causing links to said electronic version of the survey to be embedded in said selected resources.

90. A method for automatically inviting participation in surveys over a network system, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining, on a computer readable medium, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;

causing an interface to be displayed at a particular client of said network system, wherein the interface allows a user of said particular client to define a survey;

after causing the interface to be displayed, and in response to the user interacting with said interface displayed at said particular client, automatically creating said survey at a server that is remotely located from said particular client based on information received over said network system from said particular client;

receiving target participation data over said network system, wherein the target participation data identifies one or more target users for requesting participation in said survey;

after maintaining the electronic information, using the automated survey system to read said electronic information;

after reading said electronic information and receiving the target participation data, the automated survey system using the electronic information and said target participation data to request participation in said survey by said one or more target users;

after requesting participation in the survey, automatically gathering results from participation in said survey by said one or more target users; and

after automatically gathering the results, providing over said network system, data that reflects said results.