The advent of the World Wide Web as a platform for the dissemination of survey instruments to diverse populations and the electronic recording of response data has changed the timeliness and cost effectiveness of survey administration. The implications of the new ability to track response behavior patterns will have a major impact on the field of survey research. This study explored these patterns with regard to the communication of follow-up reminders and the sensitivity to survey content. The study examined the response rate and the response pattern of an electronic survey distributed to program directors of postgraduate medical education programs in Canada with regard to the adoption of the CanMEDs roles as developed by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Within a 3-week period, the survey response rate was 63% (356 people), similar to those expected of pencil-and-paper surveys for this professional group (J. Boser and K. Green, 1997). It was determined that there was not a significant difference in the nature or rate of responses before and after a follow-up reminder. Furthermore, the rate and nature of responses were not dependent on the familiarity or support of the survey content. An appendix contains the follow-up letter. (SLD)