Word: Snowball recruiting

Definition: A recruitment method where researchers ask existing subjects or people they know to spread the word and help generate participation from potential future subjects.

Thoughts: If each existing subject helps recruit one more participant, you can see how quickly the recruitment can, well, snowball! So why can't you do it yourself? Snowball recruiting can be extremely useful when research targets a very niche demographic or extremely specific community of users. It is also a great method to find participants that fall outside of your typical geographical area.

Researcher, Dana Chisnell did a wonderful interview with UIE where she discusses recruiting users with disabilities and how she utilizes snowball recruiting. It's a great read (or listen if you prefer the podcast!)

Question: In what types of situations have you used snowball recruiting? Do you see any pit-falls in recruiting this way?