Selecting the Right Survey Platform
Choosing the proper web host for any task has the potential to be a difficult undertaking, especially if it is your first. Finding a reliable survey platform is no exception. There are literally dozens of choices out there, however some will go above and beyond your needs, and others should be avoided at all costs. Choosing the proper platform is important, as it will allow you to gather pertinent and helpful data from your current and potential users. The following is a list of some of the more popular open source platforms for surveys, and includes potential drawbacks as well as advantages in order to help you make the best informed decision for your needs.
1. Survey Monkey
One of the biggest advantages boasted by Survey Monkey is its ease of use. It is not particularly complex or technical, which means even a beginner should have no problem setting it up. Survey Monkey offers pre-formatted templates, and allows you to filter your responses. It has a very strong reputation with a good customer service team. You may pay monthly, which places a limit on the responses you receive, or yearly, which allows you to receive unlimited responses at a flat rate. Overall, it is considered one of the best choices for a survey platform that is currently available.
2. Piwik
Piwik, like Survey Monkey, is relatively easy to install and run. It is commonly used as an alternative to Google Analytics, and will reliably analyze the traffic that your site receives without taking a massive amount of time to set up. It provides real-time statistics, and may be run from your own server. However, if you do not have access to the proper pages of your website, an administrator will need to install Piwik for you to ensure that it runs properly. Additionally, if you are unsure of how to set up a MySQL database, Piwik’s initial installation may be best handled by someone else.
3. LimeSurvey
LimeSurvey’s main difference from Survey Monkey and Piwik is that it is generally used by organizations, rather than individuals, to gather data. Therefore, those considering LimeSurvey will likely not need to worry quite as much about its ease of installation. LimeSurvey is still quite forgiving for those with technical knowledge, though those with less experience may want to stay away. It offers useful options such as allowing users to exit surveys and complete them later, and a system of tokens to ensure users only take surveys once. There are multiple clean and well-organized templates to choose from. One downside to this survey platform is that working from the administrator dashboard can be a confusing process.
4. Advanced Poll
Those with basic MySQL and PHP knowledge should have no problem installing and running Advanced Poll. It is a free program, which combined with the ease of installation makes it an excellent choice for individual users. The administration dashboard and interface are also well-designed and accessible. It should be noted that Advanced Poll’s capabilities do parallel the fact that it is free of charge. Therefore you should not expect especially nuanced abilities, though it does offer a variety of polls, templates, and languages. Overall, it is an excellent choice for simple polls and surveys.
Category: Website Tips
