{"id":29214,"date":"2023-08-19T07:08:17","date_gmt":"2023-08-19T14:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/?p=29214"},"modified":"2023-08-20T17:36:49","modified_gmt":"2023-08-21T00:36:49","slug":"google-forms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/2023\/08\/google-forms\/","title":{"rendered":"Create Surveys, Feedback Forms, Organize Events, and More with the Free Google Forms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in 2009, Steve and I hosted a party for the NosillaCastaways during Macworld at a local bar. It was a great success, and everyone had a great time. The following year, we did it again but something awful happened. Someone who publishes a list of parties during Macworld included our party and we had tons of crashers show up. Steve and I funded this party with our own pocketbooks so this was a real bummer.<\/p>\n

\"NosillaCast
NosillaCast bouncers Paul Shadwell, Julie Kuehl, & Barry Fulk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2011, we wanted to do it again, but we needed a way to control who showed up. We deployed one human tactic and one tech tool to make the party a success. Barry Fulk (well-known as the host of the Midwest Mac BBQ), Paul Shadwell, and Julie Kuehl volunteered to be bouncers for the event. It was awesome – Barry wore a tuxedo, Paul wore an all-black suit, and Julie dressed up in her Harley biker gear complete with a leather jacket and a bandana.<\/p>\n

The tech angle was Connor Jackson\u2019s idea. He suggested I use a Google Form so people could register to attend. That would give the bouncers a checklist to ensure no miscreants showed up to spoil the party. I had never heard of Google Forms before but it turned out to be the perfect solution.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s been 12 years since I first discovered Google Forms, I just realized that I\u2019ve never talked about it on the show beyond a passing mention. I\u2019d like to rectify that and teach you what Google Forms can do and how to make them yourself. They\u2019re really nifty, really easy, and free.<\/p>\n

What Can You Do with Google Forms?<\/h3>\n

The basic idea of Google Forms is that you create a series of questions and decide how you want them answered, and then you send out the form and automatically collect the data. That sounds really dry and boring, doesn\u2019t it? How about a couple of examples to tickle your interest instead?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say you\u2019re planning a big family reunion. You want to accommodate as many of the family members as possible, so you might want to create a form that asks for people to vote on which dates would be best for them. You might want to include where the event should occur, narrowing down the available options by a vote. Maybe once you find a date and location, you\u2019d want to create another Google Form to get people to sign up to bring potato salad, beer, or cake. Perhaps you\u2019d include a section on when people will be flying in and out so you\u2019d know when to expect them.<\/p>\n

Maybe you\u2019ve got an event that\u2019s a lot simpler, like a birthday party and you just want RSVPs. A quick Google Form is all you need.<\/p>\n

If you teach a course or make a presentation, perhaps you\u2019d want to use a Google Form as a method to get feedback on how the audience perceived the information you delivered.<\/p>\n

Maybe you\u2019re working on a project and you\u2019d like to get feedback. I used a Google Form to ask people what they liked best about the design of Podfeet.com and what they wish was different about the site. I used some of that feedback to figure out how to redesign it into its current form.<\/p>\n

During COVID, Steve cooked his usual giant Thanksgiving dinner even though we couldn\u2019t have our normal large family gathering. We decided to drive care packages to each of our friends on Thanksgiving day. Now I didn\u2019t want to bring sweet potatoes to someone if they hated them, or dark meat when they preferred light meat, so I created a Google Form with all of the options listed and let them decide what they wanted delivered. Our friends found it a delightful bit of entertainment to fill out and have goodies delivered to their doors.<\/p>\n

\"Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Delivery Options<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Google Forms provide a great deal of flexibility in what kind of information you can collect and even has ways to protect the privacy of the participants so you don\u2019t gather more information than you need.<\/p>\n

Settings for Forms<\/h3>\n

Google Forms are available from drive.google.com<\/a> under the \u201cNew\u201d button (which will open a new blank form), or you can start at docs.google.com\/forms<\/a> which will show you more options. Across the top, you\u2019ll see the Template gallery. This is a great place to peruse how to create different types of forms can be created. You can study a job application, an assessment, an event registration, and a form to find a time for a group to do something together.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with a blank form and learn how to use Google Forms.<\/p>\n

As soon as you start a form, you\u2019ll see three tabs at the top:<\/p>\n