Need programming help for survey!!

[Nightingale]

Hi POIS center,

This is a call out to anyone with WEB DESIGN skills who has the skills to create FORMS online! We need to gather more data for the Rutgers research team, and having a web-based form with a link to send to our user base would make this happen FAST! The sooner we get this, the more we can help the team and the sooner we can complete the study!

So please chime in if you think you can help! Please send me a PM, or if you are not registered send me an email:

~~~    tslowikowski ~> gmail ~ com

[serotonergic]

I'm actually pretty well versed in HTML, Java, and a few other languages.  I'll be more than happy to give you guys a hand!  Creating a survey should be no problem at all.  You should contact me by email since I rarely use Skype.

[BluesBrother]

I'm actually pretty well versed in HTML, Java, and a few other languages.  I'll be more than happy to give you guys a hand!  Creating a survey should be no problem at all.  You should contact me by email since I rarely use Skype.

Great, thanks! I actually now found this tool www.wufoo.com for creating forms which seems to be more flexible than what I had seen previously. I'll have a closer look. It could safe us some time if we do not need to program the form ourselves. I'll let you know. If the tool doesn't do the job, it would be great if you could help us.

[Nightingale]

Great, many thanks for checking into this BluesBrother

[Daveman]

Nightingale,

As I suggested elsewhere on the forum, I think it would be faster and simpler to just post well thught out polls here.

We have programmed formas and created surveys on this forum, even when there were many more visits per month, and 1) the response is slow and requires very much persistance to get member response, and 2) the formas are plagued with SPAMMers. There are 10 "responses" if not more from spammers for every response from members.

It can be done, but it takes time and an extra effort to make sure that it is spam free.

Why don't we just design a list of poll questions and have done with it?

[Quantum]

Hi Daveman, Nightingale, and everyone,

If we are to use the poll section of the forum, I  suggest there could be 3 different polls:

1. Poll on symptoms onset, using the 5 options( within 30 mins, 30 to 60mins, 1 hour to 3 hours, 3 to 8 hours, more than 8 hours ), and encouraging voters to describe in the comments what symptoms appears in what order.  Maximum votes per user: 1

2.  Poll on symptoms ending ( under 24 hours, 24 to 48 hours, 2 to 4 days, 4 to 6 d, 7 d or more),
again encouraging members to write in the comment section  what is the order in which symptoms stop, and precisions on end time of each, if spread in time. Maximum votes per user: 1

3. Poll for symptoms survey.  5 options could be :
- Cluster 1. Allergy-like (with a list, option definition allows a few lines of test)
- Cluster 2 Flu-like symptoms ( again with the list, that can be copy and paste from the list I have started for Dr Wise - fever, joint pain, et...)
- Cluster 3  central, cognitive ( again with the list  - brain fog, etc..)
- Cluster 3 peripheral, other pellagra-ike symptoms : muscle weakness, diarrhea , etc...
- Cluster 4 psychological and emotional symptoms ( list: anxiety, irritability etc...)

Since the polls offer up to 5 options, I suggest the split of cluster 3, in order to get as most as possible from the data.

IMPORTANT for this poll:  Maximum votes per user: 5  ,  because obviously, you can have symptoms in more than one cluster.

The symptoms list from each option, that will help voters in their votes, can be taken in the ongoing list I have started this week: http://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=2027.0

Again, members can be asked to write additional information in the comments section of this third poll, about any other symptoms, and about severity for each cluster they have checked ( severe, moderate, or Low).

--

In each poll presentation, it should be asked that each voter answers all of the 3 polls.  Then, afterward, somebody from the forum or from the research team could build a complete pattern for each member.  For example, by combining in a table the answer of member 1, member 2, etc, to the onset poll, end poll, and the symptoms survey poll, you can get a good idea of the POIS pattern for each of these members.

Please share your comments. 

I could easily put that up in the poll forum in about 1 hour or so, but no later than tomorrow, Saturday morning.  After, I will leave for about 8 days and only will only have time to keep up with messages posted.

[Stef]

Nightingale,

As I suggested elsewhere on the forum, I think it would be faster and simpler to just post well thught out polls here.

We have programmed formas and created surveys on this forum, even when there were many more visits per month, and 1) the response is slow and requires very much persistance to get member response, and 2) the formas are plagued with SPAMMers. There are 10 "responses" if not more from spammers for every response from members.

It can be done, but it takes time and an extra effort to make sure that it is spam free.

Why don't we just design a list of poll questions and have done with it?

Hi, Daveman, Nightingale, Quantum and Everyone Else,

It seems that creating a survey form, then sending it out and waiting for results, would ultimately be quite time-consuming...but might not result in much feedback from forum members. Also, as Daveman mentioned, there's a huge potential for spammers to make up the majority of responders.

A questionnaire already exists from Rutgers -- a 2-page survey of symptoms and a personal history form that's part of the study application process. So it seems to me that Dr. W and Dr. K already already have access to the information that Nightingale mentioned that Dr. Wise feels would be helpful.

http://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=1478.msg13790#msg13790
http://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=1478.msg13791#msg13791

Each man who wishes to can print that form out, write in the answers, scan it -- then send it directly to Dr. Wise via email.  She could then cull the information she's looking for.

Also -- if the big question at this point is the timeline and duration of symptoms, a straight-forward poll will easily answer that. Dr. Wise could access the poll responses and pick out the info that would help the study and their POIS research in general. As a researcher she has vast experience in culling important information from documents, especially simple poll documents.

I do think that straight-forward polls would be the way to go here, and importantly -- Dr. Wise should be the one to extract the important information from them.

Stef

[Nightingale]

I think I'm convinced. Stef I like your proposal.

I felt like I should share that I've come down with a cold, and I don't feel like doing much of anything right now. Please, if anyone feels like jumping in to this and starting the process please go ahead. I'll have to catch up later, I need to rest and get well

[Quantum]

I think I'm convinced. Stef I like your proposal.

I felt like I should share that I've come down with a cold, and I don't feel like doing much of anything right now. Please, if anyone feels like jumping in to this and starting the process please go ahead. I'll have to catch up later, I need to rest and get well

Hi Nightingale, Daveman, Stef, and everyone,

Sorry to hear that you do not feel well, Nightingale.  I wish you to get well soon. ( I have been using Moducare for years in case of colds, taking 2 caps, 2 to 3 times a day for a few days, when ill, and it has always helped me to lessen the duration of the cold and experiment less severe symptoms, without any side effects)

I may then go ahead with the 3 polls I have proposed.  Once they wlll be on the forum, there is maybe a way to reach out to members and ask them to come and answer the 3 polls.

Like I have mentioned, I will be away for the next week, leaving the ice and cold of Canada, going from -30 degrees celsius ( -30 F) here to +29 degrees (84 F) in Riviera Maya, Mexico So, I will not be very active on the forum till Marsh 9, but I will take the time to put the polls up this morning, since my suitcase is ready

Hasta luego!

[BluesBrother]

Nightingale,

As I suggested elsewhere on the forum, I think it would be faster and simpler to just post well thught out polls here.

We have programmed formas and created surveys on this forum, even when there were many more visits per month, and 1) the response is slow and requires very much persistance to get member response, and 2) the formas are plagued with SPAMMers. There are 10 "responses" if not more from spammers for every response from members.

It can be done, but it takes time and an extra effort to make sure that it is spam free.

Why don't we just design a list of poll questions and have done with it?

Hi, Daveman, Nightingale, Quantum and Everyone Else,

It seems that creating a survey form, then sending it out and waiting for results, would ultimately be quite time-consuming...but might not result in much feedback from forum members. Also, as Daveman mentioned, there's a huge potential for spammers to make up the majority of responders.

A questionnaire already exists from Rutgers -- a 2-page survey of symptoms and a personal history form that's part of the study application process. So it seems to me that Dr. W and Dr. K already already have access to the information that Nightingale mentioned that Dr. Wise feels would be helpful.

http://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=1478.msg13790#msg13790
http://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=1478.msg13791#msg13791

Each man who wishes to can print that form out, write in the answers, scan it -- then send it directly to Dr. Wise via email.  She could then cull the information she's looking for.

Also -- if the big question at this point is the timeline and duration of symptoms, a straight-forward poll will easily answer that. Dr. Wise could access the poll responses and pick out the info that would help the study and their POIS research in general. As a researcher she has vast experience in culling important information from documents, especially simple poll documents.

I do think that straight-forward polls would be the way to go here, and importantly -- Dr. Wise should be the one to extract the important information from them.

Stef

Hi, I understand your concerns regarding the form (see also my post in the original topic in which we started the discussion about providing more information to Dr. Wise). However, I am confident that I could have a form up and running in a week from now. If you think that is too slow, I can try to do it faster. I do not see how spam would be a larger issue with the form (provided that we send out an email to forum members with the link, instead of posting the link here - or post the link in an area of the forum which only members can see). I think that by sending out an email in which we ask members to fill in a single form, we can get a higher response rate than by creating polls - but you have more experience with this, so I might be wrong. Concerning the suggestion that members print out the questionnaire, scan it and send it to Dr. Wise, that seems like a much larger barrier than filling in an online form.

[BluesBrother]

I may then go ahead with the 3 polls I have proposed.  Once they wlll be on the forum, there is maybe a way to reach out to members and ask them to come and answer the 3 polls.

I have just completed the polls. Thanks for setting them up. One advantage of the form would be that we can see clustering of symptoms, e.g., Quantum you have hypothesized that having one cluster of symptoms might imply that another cluster is also present, but not necessarily the other way around. This we cannot see with the polls - we only see an overall average response for each of the items (but no correlations between answers).

[vinred]

I may then go ahead with the 3 polls I have proposed.  Once they wlll be on the forum, there is maybe a way to reach out to members and ask them to come and answer the 3 polls.

I have just completed the polls. Thanks for setting them up. One advantage of the form would be that we can see clustering of symptoms, e.g., Quantum you have hypothesized that having one cluster of symptoms might imply that another cluster is also present, but not necessarily the other way around. This we cannot see with the polls - we only see an overall average response for each of the items (but no correlations between answers).

Just my 2 cents....
I Agree with Blue Brother that form might be better rather than printing, scanning and emailing, But again I do not have much experience with the forum and as administrator you all are much experienced and you guys know how painful it might be (From Davemans posts, It seems it is very very painful) to deal with the spams and also to get a response from the members using Forms. It's always good to start with polls which are simple and easy to answer by the members (and I have answered the polls), but it does not hurt to see how people would respond to Forms as a Secondary option. It was just a thought, please ignore it if it doesn't make much sense.