The Potential and Use of Electronic Mail Technology for Conducting Surveys in South Africa: A Case Study Entitled "SA Agri-Success 2000"

The pace of change and development of new technology in the new millennium necessitates fast and efficient data accumulation, processing, interpretation and dissemination to maintain a competitive advantage in any information orientated field. With regards to primary data accumulation, if academic institutions stick to rigid traditional tools and not embrace changes in the information/communications revolution they will face the criticism of further irrelevancy. Traditional academic surveys are also one of the most expensive components of any research project budget. Communication technology advancements, such as electronic mail (e-mail), the Internet and Cellular phone technology such as SMS (Short Messaging Service) and WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), create an opportunity to drastically reduce survey costs and time. The use of e-mail as a potential electronic medium for conducting a survey is discussed in this paper. E-mail was chosen because of the minimal costs involved and the specific market that can be targeted. It does, however, have its own problems and limitations. The key question asked in the e-survey was: "What do South African farmers need to do to survive, and better yet: prosper, in the new millennium?" The focus of this paper is not the answers to this question, but on the methodology, shortfalls, profile of respondents, reply statistics and some netiquette tips used in thee-survey.