Author excaliba
2013
4
Premium
Rank 44624
Hi there everyone,

Over the years I've used quite a few different survey tools - some of them free and some of them subscription-based.

In the last 12 months I have switched most of my focus to doing online surveys using Google Docs.

Why? A Google Docs survey provides more than just a simple way of creating surveys and gathering results. It's the whole power of the integrated platform that is suddenly at your fingertips.

This training tutorial focuses on:
  1. Showing you how to set up your first online survey using Google Forms.
  2. When you're ready, sharing it via Google+, Facebook, Twitter or email - or embed on your own site).
  3. Display results (with Google's own auto-created results dashboard (see the link below).
  4. Open up the spreadsheet where the data is collected
And all that within 15 minutes.

Follow along and you could have a google docs survey in almost as much time (assuming of course you have a Google Docs enabled account).

A couple of further points:
I'm assuming some of you will have questions. Please leave them in the discussion thread for this tutorial and I will respond as I can.

Needless to say, we are just scratching the surface of how you can leverage the power of the Google platform if you start to use forms. Even with what is shown just here, as someone building an online business, I am sure you can think up of many ways a Google Docs survey could help you. Perhaps you can share some of those ideas here as well!

If there is enough demand, I'll put some of the more advanced features in the Premium area.

Good luck in your endeavors ... and don't be afraid to reach out and ask your question.

Excaliba (David)
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akwb77 Premium
Excellent video, very thorough.
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caylynn Premium
Great video - David!!. Been getting more familiar with G+ products everyday. Used survey monkey in teaching and research, makes more sense to use what you have taught us today. Will come back with questions. Thank you very much. ^_~1512/6/13
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excaliba Premium
You're welcome.
By the way, Survey Monkey is a great product. I've used it for research as well. I've found that the social engagement side of Google has been great. For example, for some of the interactive micro research I have been doing, I also set up a Google Site and publish the survey form and results (and group discussion) surrounding the topic.
Looking forward to our questions.
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caylynn Premium
Are you ready for my questions? :) Thank you for your time.
Do you mean a G website with their survey form? Are you thinking of linking from there?
What topic? Are you in a hangout? Am in a few and they are so full of information with unique character, perspective.
With G Drive want to have a folder accessible to my website visitors. Have you done this with a WA website? 2317/6/15
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excaliba Premium
@Caylynn. LOL - wow, that is a stack of questions!

I'll take them one at a time and answer as best I can (perhaps as separate blog pieces?).

Let me just say this - G+ (in my opinion) has to be part of any serious social engagement strategy for a business (even the one-person show). I'm just beginning to really understand this myself, and it is an advanced area of discussion.

Part 3 of Affiliate Bootcamp focuses on 'getting social' and I really don't want to distract people from the essential tasks WA are promoting - so let's get a steer from Kyle/Carson on whether they want some of these topics out in the open areas of WA!

(But don't worry, I'll answer your questions in a next couple of days)
Cheers
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caylynn Premium
One never knows until they ask. LOL. Filling my folder on G drive of docs, presentations, images, and just added simple booklet. I want my blogs to be sliders with information, my pages to be widgets of related products. Am still investigating whether my theme will support what I want. Have been pleasantly surprised on how easily social plugins are utilized. Everyday, learn something new. Only questions can enable more resources. Thank you for your help, hope I can reciprocate. My focus is a niche, with huge competition. My dream will overcome. 22.21/6/16
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mrmako Premium
Hey Excaliba,
Thanks for that video Great stuff. Never knew this existed. In terms of getting back responses to a survey, does it have to go back into a gmail account for you to analyse or can I use any email address.

Looking forward to your next video.

Cheers and thanks again
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excaliba Premium
The summary results (if you publish them like I have in the link above in the tutorial) is available for everyone - or just a select few - depends on how you set it.

Not quite sure what you mean by gmail account. To create and publish the form, you need a gmail account with Google Apps enabled anyway. The form does need to be linked to a Google Spreadsheet .

There are some advanced backend scripts and things I can do that will trigger support emails, or insertion into CRM systems (Customer Relationship Management) etc. based on the specific events or conditions in the captured data. But that is going to be a topic at some point for the premium area!

Did I answer the question?
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wtbee2013 Premium
This is great. Now I am thinking it would be great if you can give some ideas on what type of surveys, maybe you did and I missed it....should we ask maybe before we start a campaign or maybe.....I am sure the list is endless right?
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excaliba Premium
Great question!

I just posted a blog that gives you one way I have used them, I call it the Micro-Survey experience ... https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/excaliba/blog/the-google-docs-micro-survey-experience.

I was hoping we could generate some discussion here about how everyone could use Google docs for surveys (yes, I can give you quite a few examples - but that wasn't the focus of this tutorial).

For me, it has been the integrated nature of Google itself that is the killer app (that most people still haven't grasped). I can publish from within Google Apps a micro-survey to .... let's say one of my circles on Google+, or to Facebook followers, or I can email it out to a specific group, or I can embed it in a web-page ... or even the footer of my email signature!

So the trick is not to focus so much on the survey (we can see how easy it is to create) - but on how we can use it socially engage!

Cheers
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wtbee2013 Premium
Absolutely I got that and you are so right :O) I was excited and wanted to some ideas and you say you gave us some thanks look forward to see more of your training on this

Love it Love it
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RonnyG Premium
Very nice going...this should help lots of folk's here at WA..The video was very impressive...Have yu had much experience with making videos?

what did you use to make it? Want to give it a try but may be to much techie stuff for me...
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excaliba Premium
Thanks ... It is the first video I have produced. Tools used: SnagIT for the video capture and iMovie for the production.

Took me 4 hours this morning from idea inception while looking at the Resource votes here at WA through to publication.

This is all very new to be doing this for myself. I normally provide advice/guidance to others. Putting it into practice for yourself is quite nerve-racking!
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excaliba Premium
You just gave me my next idea ;-) ... how to do video production for your website using inexpensive tools!
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