Using convenience, opt-in Internet panels as sampling frames has become virtually commonplace in today’s survey research world. The movement towards Web-based convenience panels is inevitable, given the relatively low cost of these samples, the shorter time frames for completing surveys and the flexibility provided by the Internet for conducting complex surveys. As with every dramatic change in sample selection and/or interviewing mode, concern arises among survey practitioners about the impact potentially radical changes have on survey results from previously employed other sampling procedures. This unease is especially felt among magazine researchers because print audience ratings services are the cornerstone of the buying and planning processes. It is equally disconcerting because many of the country-specific print rating services still employ area probability, in-person surveys with an effort to ensure every eligible respondent has a known probability of being selected. 

Over the past 8 years, Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) has explored the impact of using convenience Internet panels on audience ratings and has even utilized these studies in providing more granular information about magazine reading. We have approached Internet panels with a substantial degree of trepidation since we are very cognizant of the potential biases associated with these sampling frames. Beyond analyzing potential uses of Internet panels for magazine research, we have also examined the relative performances of different panels and developed some clear guidelines about the uses and misuses of these sampling frames. This paper discusses the insights gleaned from conducting almost 750,000 surveys on the Internet using convenience panels and tries to offer the proper context in which magazines can use convenience panels for very specific purposes. Although the findings reflect our experience with opt-in Internet panels in the United States, they address issues faced by researchers in many other countries.