Everyone knows about Gmail and YouTube, but I’m fairly certain you’ve never heard of this tool. And it’s one of the more useful free tools I’ve run across recently.
It’s a tool inside Google Docs. More specifically, it’s the Form tool in Google Docs.
In short, it’s a super fast, easy way to create surveys for your blog or any other website.
I first used it with this blog post where I asked for people’s input on the name of one of my ebooks. I created a simple survey that looked like this:
And I embedded it into the blog post.
The cool thing is that everyone’s responses are recorded and saved in a Google Docs spreadsheet. The spreadsheet for the above survey, for example, looked like this:
Pretty slick, eh?
And then last month I wanted to ask my fkb.me readers and subscribers about something, so I created another survey. But instead of embedding it on the site, I created a pen.io page for it (pen.io lets you create web pages without registering for the service) and pasted the form’s html code in. The result was a survey at fkbme.pen.io (it’s still there if you want to look at it) that I sent my readers to. [Each Google Form actually has its own URL that you can send people to, but I didn't realize that until after I'd created the fkb.me survey... I just wanted to tell you guys about pen.io because it's freaking awesome.]
And in addition to the data recorded in a spreadsheet as shown above, you can get a nice summary of your gathered data:
Again, pretty slick, eh?
Oh, and if you’re wondering, I ended up naming the ebook 101 Blogging Tips: How to Create a Blog That People Will Find, Read, and Share.
Creating a survey with the Google Docs Form tool is super easy. On your main Google Docs page (make sure you’re logged in), click Create and then Form. You can then add different types of questions (multiple choice, check boxes, text box, from a list, etc.) and type in the information for each question. It’s really easy and pretty intuitive.
I love this because there’s no signing up for yet another service, like you’d have to do to use SurveyMonkey. Everyone already has a Google account, and you can have a survey (or any other kind of form, for that matter) up and running in no time.
- What do you think? Does this look like something you’ll use?
- What else could you use this Form tool for?
- What else have you used for surveys?
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Awesome! Thanks for the tip :)
Any time. Thanks :)
I like the Google Form tool, it is great for doing survey’s and polls
Yeah, it’s pretty awesome, eh? It might be overkill for something like a simple Twitter survey, but I think it’s a great, powerful tool overall.
Very useful for me, aha, may I copy your working :)
Copy away :)
this is pretty cool tristan, glad i saw this ;-) thanks!
i’d been wanting to try a survey here and there, but didn’t want so much hassle and signing up etc, this is just right ;-)
Thanks! Yeah, it’s a great tool to keep in your quiver and pull out when needed.
never heard of this Google Form tool before but i sure like the sound of it, thanks for sharing
Any time, Alex. Thanks for commenting.
Nice use of google Docs Tristan. Thanks for pointing this one out!
Steve
Awesome, glad you found it helpful, Steve. I love the Google Docs form tool!
Hey,
This is the first time I’ve visiting your blog and you’ve got some seriously awesome content up in here…
I never knew about the form on Google docs. It’s definately something that I can utilise in the future and seems like sooo much less hassle than other survey options. I’m all excited now and want to use it immediately, except I don’t have anything to ask (yet)..
Thanks for sharing.
Jas
Thanks, Jas! I hope you stop by often to check it out.
I tried a whole bunch of different survey options before coming across this one. It just makes the whole survey process a lot easier.
Great tip. I already use it, and I like that the date loads itself into a spread sheet for easy analysis. Lots of tips and tricks for google docs. That is why I use it for my SEO stuff and Blog writing.
Yeah, the fact that it keeps all of the survey data in a spreadsheet is just awesome. Google Docs is a powerhouse that too few people take advantage of.
Thanks Susan!
I like the Google Form too. It’s like a basic Excell (very basic but very cool)
The Form tool itself isn’t like Excel. Just the spreadsheet that your data is visibile in.
Google really has a lot of tools you can use depending on your needs. You just have to be more familiar with them and taking time to know those you’re not so familiar with in order to maximize their services.
Anyways, Thanks for sharing!
Very true. And it’s always good to just be aware of what tools are out there so you know where to turn if you need a tool to help you do something.
Hey, Tristan, you BUM….you said that this little form tool would be OUR little secret!! Now, you’ve gone and spilled the beans to everyone! Just no loyalty, online, any more!
Just kidding. ;o)
I already knew what the title of your eBook was, because I just bought it on Amazon for $3.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/b007144urw/goodcovers-20
Haven’t read through it yet….too busy reading THIS BLOG!!!
Thanks a lot for “spilling the beans” about this groovy-cool tool!
L8r
Oops. Sorry. I forgot about our super secret agreement :)
Let me know if you have any questions while reading the blog or the 101 Blogging Tips book.
Thanks!
To be honest I never really thought nor have I give any notice on this tool.This is the first time that I have noticed this… Thank you for sharing..
Yeah, it’s one of those tools that kind of slips by your notice, but it’s a great one to know about. Thanks!
You’re right, I never noticed this feature before. I’m looking forward to trying it.
Great! Try it out and let me know how it goes.
Thanks for the tip. I am always looking for simple ways to interact with our site’s visitors, and this will help. Thanks again.
Its a great tools to get information from your customers, and try to find out if the like what we doing or not, thank you for the tip
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