[nc-whois] [fwd] WHOIS: Statistical note. (from: roessler@does-not-exist.org)

[Thomas Roessler <roessler@does-not-exist.org>]

----- Forwarded message from Thomas Roessler <roessler@does-not-exist.org> -----

From: Thomas Roessler <roessler@does-not-exist.org>
To: ga@dnso.org
Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2002 11:56:12 +0200
Subject: WHOIS: Statistical note.

   One reader of the [1]WHOIS Task Force's report sent me a private
   comment about the statitsical considerations section of that report,
   pointing out that there is no reason to suppose that the statistics of
   a self-selected sample can be modeled by a Gaussion or any other
   random model. This is, of course, true: The fact that the respondents
   were [2]self-selected can add any systematic bias, and we don't know
   what that bias looks like. However, we know that this bias makes the
   results worse. Thus, error margins derived from a random model
   underestimate the errors. Put differently: If you couldn't derive a
   conclusion assuming the sample is random, you certainly can't derive
   it when the results come from a self-selected sample.

References

   1. http://www.dnso.org/dnso/notes/whoisTF/
   2. http://www.capitalcentury.com/1935.html

-- 
Thomas Roessler                        http://log.does-not-exist.org/

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