Five online tools for generating polls and surveys

Poll Everywhere

Poll Everywhere is a fun and easy-to-use polling app that lets you get a quick, live response from your audience, whether they're using their browsers or their smartphones. You can easily create a poll and then send respondents codes they can text back or respond using the unique browser URL they receive for your poll. The results are tabulated in real time and displayed in your browser window.

Poll Everywhere

You can share your poll results on Facebook or Twitter or send others a link to view the results. What's more, Poll Everywhere makes it easy for you to display your results on PowerPoint slides, so you can incorporate live feedback into your presentations.

Poll Everywhere is available with a basic free account that enables you to create an unlimited number of polls for up to 40 people. There are also several paid plans based on the number of possible respondents you hope to have (into the tens of thousands).

EasyPolls

EasyPolls  was a bit surprising. It didn't even ask me to log in before it displayed the first question page. As you type your question and answers on the left, they appear in the right preview area. After you click Save, EasyPolls will prompt you to create an account (gotcha!) and then send the login information you need to the email address you enter.

EasyPolls

You can choose a design for your poll by clicking the Looks & Feel tab and choosing the style you like. You can also share your poll easily using a number of social media tools or embed the poll directly on your blog or Web page.

EasyPolls

Once your poll has been posted awhile, you can get a sense of how people are responding by clicking the My Polls tab and clicking the Reports button. You can see where people are responding from and how they are answering, which just might help you fine-tune the content you're posting on your blog or site.

SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is a popular survey tool that lets you gather data from anyone who has access to the Web. The Basic edition (10 questions / 100 responses per survey) is free. There are also three paid versions that offer additional features. You can create a survey using the online tools, collect the responses from those invited to take the survey, and then analyze the results you get.

Begin by going to the SurveyMonkey site and clicking the Sign Up FREE button. After you enter your account information, the SurveyMonkey screen spells out the basics of the process for you. Just click Create Survey to get started. You can then choose a category for your new survey. If you want to use an existing template, click Use An Expert Survey Template and choose the desired category.

SurveyMonkey

Click Add Question, type the text for your question, and choose a question type. If necessary, enter the choices users will select as they answer the question. Rinse and repeat until you've added all the questions you want to include. Click Send Survey to get the URL you can share with people who want to take the survey. You can also post the URL to your blog or Web page if you like (or share it on Facebook or Twitter).

Constant Contact

It seems like every third newsletter I get from a business or nonprofit group is produced using Constant Contact. Now Constant Contact has entered the online survey arena. You can try the Constant Contact survey tool free for 60 days, after which it starts at $15 per month.

Once you enter all your information to start the trial, click Create A Survey Now in the Constant Contact Surveys & Polls window. Enter a name for the survey and then choose whether you want to start with a survey template or a blank survey. (Another option here is to let Constant Contact do the whole thing for you.)

Constant Contact

After you make your choice, click Next. When you click Question to the right of the Add Here link, Constant Contact prompts you to choose the question type you want to create.

Constant Contact

You can enter your question in the Question Text box and then enter the corresponding answers. At the bottom of the question form, you can specify whether to allow respondents to add comments and whether participants are required to answer the question. Click Save to save the question and click Question to add the next one.

Constant Contact

Once you've created all the questions you want, click Save & Continue. Constant Contact gives you the option of creating a greeting page for those taking your survey or having them go straight to the survey page. You can also tweak a closing page and give survey takers the option of going to your Web site or receiving a friendly thank you. Finally, you can preview (and edit, if necessary) the survey and then click Test and then Publish to go live with your survey.

Question Pro

Question Pro is an online survey tool that boasts clients such as Microsoft, Honeywell, Motorola, ING, and Qwest. You can create one survey (10 questions / 100 responses) for free. Two paid plans offer unlimited surveys, questions, and responses, in addition to more sophisticated features, such as skip logic, email list management, and data segmentation.

Question Pro

Similar to other survey tools, you can sign up with only your email address and gain access to everything you need to create your first Web survey. After you log in, click the Create A New Survey button. Question Pro gives you the option of copying a survey template, starting a new blank survey, or adding a survey from a Word file -- a nice feature. Click Continue and Question Pro prompts you to enter a name for the survey. Choose the template you'd like to apply and click Finish.

Question Pro

Question Pro walks you through the process of specifying question types and adding questions and answer text.

Question Pro

 When you finish adding questions, you'll be taken back to the Edit Survey tab, where you can edit questions, add logic, change the font or layout, insert more questions, and much more.