In late October, members of some of the most prominent online marketing-research firms gathered for the first EXPLOR Award forum. During the event, participants delved into the question of online marketing research's future. Based on current growth rates and absent unforeseen marketing shifts, they estimated that in 5 years, this industry segment could account for 50% of all marketing research ravens - or $3.1 billion. By comparison, they determined that in 1999, online research would account for about 2% of all research spending. Much of what will happen in the next 3-to-5 years in the online marketing research segment is uncharted territory or now exists in the hazy realm of proprietary information and closed-door discussions.