Why Headlines and Small Sample Sizes Don't Mix (in 6 sentences)

Late last week Simply Measured  put out a widely covered story talking about how engagement was 46% for brands on Facebook since converting to Timeline.  A timely (and very tweet-able) headline for sure as brand pages were being forced into Timeline. 

Being a researcher at heart I felt it was my duty to read beyond the headline and check out the sample used for the study.  And what I found was an examination of a handful of brands, most of whom were of Fortune 500 size. 

So, while the headline was great,  the data was misleading and of minimal relevance to most readers. In a blurb centric world this kind of reporting can be dangerous and highlights why headlines and small sample sizes don't mix well.
Location: Arlington, MA 02474, USA

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