Consider Using an Online Questionnaire

I write health books and use online questionnaires I create as part of my research. My findings are not part of a scientific study, but rather a means to obtain helpful quotations and educate myself about how people really feel about an issue, whether it’s prostate cancer, migraines or something else. I ask people to respond to my email and when they do, I send them my questionnaire.

Advantages:

• Respondents often provide revealing and helpful information
• Their comments may uncover key issues you hadn’t realized were important
• Some respondents send your questionnaire to others with the same problem, generating more responses
• You can change your questionnaire as needed, as you learn more

There are also disadvantages. It takes time to identify the best sites where people may respond. Sometimes responses don’t come as fast as you wish, and some people who say they’ll respond never do. Some received questionnaires aren’t useable.

Dos and Don’ts

• Google for sites that may cover your subject.
• Always ask permission from the site owner before leaving your email so that people can respond to your questionnaire.
• Ask the owner/blogger to tell readers about your questionnaire. Explain you’re a writer researching a book/article on X. Provide your website and email addresses so they can contact you and you can then send your questionnaire.
• Site owners may leave a statement about your questionnaire on their main page. More likely, they’ll let you write your request as a message subject. They may also turn you down. If that happens, ask for the name of another site that might consider your request.
• Tell bloggers you’ll list their site in your article/appendix, if you can.
• Give potential questionnaire respondents a reason to respond, like helping others with the same problem.
• Explain that you don’t use real names of respondents. (Most people want anonymity.)
• Don’t post your entire questionnaire online anywhere.
• Consider using another email address in your online request and at the end of your questionnaire. You’ll know it’s about the questionnaire when responses arrive. Check this email regularly!

Creating Your Questionnaire

Title your questionnaire. Example: Questionnaire on Cancer by Christine Adamec. Then ask 10-12 questions. At the beginning of the questionnaire, encourage respondents to write as much as they wish.  At the end, provide your email address and thank them.

Sample Questions:

1. What were your first thoughts when you discovered you had ____?
2. What is the hardest part about having ____?
3. What surprised you the most about ____?
4. What is the most important thing others should know about _____?
5. How did your spouse/partner react to your diagnosis?
6. What did you do right in dealing with _____? (Note: Nobody asks people what they did right. The question brings some to tears. I know because they tell me.)
7. What have you tried that helped? Explain.
8. What have you tried that didn’t work? Explain.
9. If you could go back in time, what would you do differently after learning you had _____?
10. What haven’t I asked about ____ people need to know? (This sounds like it repeats Number 4, but it doesn’t.)

Good luck!