INFORMATION UPDATE October 2006 Number 78 Welcome to INFORMATION UPDATE, a monthly resource for information seekers and users. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ IN THIS ISSUE ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ => Do It Yourself - Survey Tools => Did You Know - Information Audits Inform Organizations => Notes, News and Announcements => Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information ************************************************************ DO IT YOURSELF - Online Survey Tools ************************************************************ Market research and customer feedback are two common reasons to conduct a survey. No doubt you can think of others. An online survey tool can take a great deal of the pain out of the process, increase participation, and drastically reduce costs. Here are three survey tools to consider the next time you seek input to your decision making process. Each of these alternatives has a free version, so there's no reason not to give one or all a try. QuestionPro http://www.questionpro.com - QuestionPro offers Basic (free), Professional ($15/month), Premium ($99/month), and Corporate ($249/month). The Basic version permits two surveys, 100 responses, automatic reports, and survey templates. The paid versions permit unlimited surveys and responses, plus advanced analytics, complex surveys, and custom reports. SurveyMonkey http://www.surveymonkey.com - SurveyMonkey has two subscription levels, Basic (free) and Professional (USD $19.95/month). With Basic your surveys are limited to 10 questions and 100 responses per survey, but there is no limit on the number of free surveys you can use. The Professional Subscription includes up to 1000 responses per month and advanced features such as skip logic, required answers, add a logo, share results, and download options. Zoomerang http://www.zoomerang.com - Zoomerang offers four subscription options including Basic (free), zPro for Education ($99 for 3 months), zPro for Nonprofit ($99 for 3 months), and Zoomerang zPro ($75/month). The Basic subscription offers unlimited surveys with 30 or fewer questions and 100 or fewer responses. Survey results are available for 10 days. The zPro options are all the same except for the price. These subscriptions offer all of the advanced capability you would expect. Give surveying a try, and let us know how it goes. Happy Surveying! ************************************************************* Did You Know? - Information Audits Inform Organizations ************************************************************* The information audit is an advanced form of surveying an organization. The objective is to understand how information comes into and moves around the organization. Concerns may include who purchases or creates information, how much it costs, where it is stored, and who has access to it. An information audit generally includes an advanced survey of employees, including one-on-one interviews. The surveys and interviews are carefully tailored to address specific questions or concerns that the organization may have about information management. An analysis of the responses collected during an information audit will generally lead to recommendations for cost saving measures or improved information access and management throughout the organization. While some organizations will conduct their own information audit, it is often useful to contract with an outside consultant to undertake the project. In this way the organization can take advantage of the objective viewpoint available through an experienced information professional. For more information contact Shamel Information Services, 858-673-4673. ************************************************************* Notes, News, and Announcements ************************************************************* >>Use Google as a calculator. For instance, enter arithmetic (97-38)/3 or conversions such as 65 dollars in euros. Look for the answer at the top of the search results list. >>Information Seekers may now subscribe to Information Update using the web form at http://shamelinfo.com. If someone has forwarded this newsletter to you, why not register for your own free copy? Use the form on the Shamel Information Services web site at http://shamelinfo.com. ************************************************************** Shamel Information Services Web Site ************************************************************** The Shamel Information Services web site at http://shamelinfo.com contains Information Update archives. Just click on "Newsletters" and check for any issues you might have missed. Cynthia L. Shamel, editor Shamel Information Services Telephone: 858-673-4673 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Subscriptions to INFORMATION UPDATE are free. To subscribe use the form at http://shamelinfo.com. To unsubscribe, please send your request to cshamel@shamelinfo.com. All requests are handled promptly. Copyright 2006 Shamel Information Services Please feel free to forward this issue to colleagues, in its entirety. Other uses without permission may violate copyright. Online archives at http://shamelinfo.com/newsletter.htm ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^