About Us

ViewStats Research Inc.

ViewStats Research combines many years of methodological and market research experience with cutting edge technology designed to gather the most accurate and reliable data on Internet behavior of any commercially available system today. The integrated process is at the core of the iDiary System which tracks individual users' Internet behavior, identifies who they are, and gathers information on their Internet attitudes and opinions. The system relies on scientific sampling of the Natural Population of visitors to a target web site. The resulting integrated, single source database delivers the most accurate and up-to-date customer knowledge base of any product commercially available.

iDiary survey procedures include steps to maximize survey response rates. These are dreadful for most online surveys. The most compelling feature to improve response rates is a financial incentive to each and every qualified respondent. We abstain from lotteries that reward one person and offer nothing for the labor and participation of all the others. Another activity that improves response rates involves timely, real person communication with respondents. The Internet is littered with so many online surveys with fraudulent claims that many respondents are skeptical of any claims particularly those involving financial rewards. Also, with tracking surveys, people are concerned about their privacy being surreptitiously invaded. The iDiary team provides respondents with an 800 number and e-mail access to answer any questions they might have regarding the legitimacy, methodology, and privacy concerns of any study in which they are participants. On the question of privacy they are assured that all identifying personal information is stripped from the data files at the analysis stage.

The company specializes in projects that are characterized by extremely difficult methodological and technological measurement challenges. One such project involved a study of how Canadians use the Internet to find information about federal government programs and services. It included behavioral and attitudinal comparisons between "at home" users and those using public access kiosks. Our company continues to invest heavily in technological innovations in order to provide clients with the best possible information about who their clients are and how they use the Internet.

The Principals of the Company

Oleh Iwanyshyn -- Director of Research

Mr. Iwanyshyn has been professionally involved in survey methodology and marketing since the mid 70's.

Prior to starting ViewStats Research in 1997 with co-founder Myron Kowaliw, he worked at the Institute for Social Research (now the Institute for Behavioral Research) at York University as a survey methodologist.

Later, at the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC), he had methodological responsibility for the CBC Audience Viewing Panel, a longitudinal weekly survey of about 1200 respondents nationwide that provided a qualitative assessment of television programs running on the CBC and other television networks. The combination of weekly qualitative (CBC Panel) and quantitative (A.C. Nielsen and BBM ) statistics on network television programs was unique in North America and distinguished the CBC from all other broadcasters.

A long-term involvement with A.C. Nielsen and BBM sampling methodologies and rating data led to his involvement in the design of the Nielsen TV Metered Household Survey and the BBM Radio Survey.

While at the CBC, he initiated novel program testing methodologies that included real-time electronic tracking of viewer response to pilot shows and on-air programs. For this and other innovative contributions that helped improve television programming, he was awarded the Golden Cloud Award.

Mr. Iwanyshyn's work has been published in both academic journals and the general press.

His academic training was in Physics to the doctoral level (University of Waterloo).

Myron Kowaliw -- Systems and Operations Director

Mr. Kowaliw, co-founder of ViewStats Research, has extensive experience in Internet technology and networking technology. In 1994 he was a Senior Programmer/Technical Analyst at Dominion Securities. The demands for reliable, fast access to information over the internal private network clearly showed a use for Intranet technology in document retrieval and instant electronic mail. Mr. Kowaliw conducted technical examinations of differing Internet technologies including web servers and database systems.

In 1996 Mr. Kowaliw moved on to General Motors to work on high-speed fiber optic networks that called for expertise in network layout and design. Priority was placed on installing and configuring the network to avoid the kinds of data bottlenecks that plague the Internet.

Since 1997, Mr. Kowaliw has been involved in advising corporations in creating web sites. The clients include retail chains requiring distributed e-mail and web access, and intranet/extranet projects for major banking institutions.

Mr. Kowaliw holds a degree in computer science at the University of Toronto.