Extend your Google Forms capabilities with Sheets

Google Forms reliably collects input, but sometimes looking the input back up on the Responses tab can be daunting,  especially if you need to match up who submitted which info.

Sometimes viewing your Google Forms responses can be easier when done in a spreadsheet, and you can achieve this with the click of a button on the Responses tab.

💎 Watch the video to see how you can extend Google Forms capabilities with Sheets.

❓ Have you tried this?

Need help with Google Workspace? Contact me for a free first consult: 

https://www.kloudgem.com/get-in-touch/contact  

KloudGem tips: 

https://www.kloudgem.com/follow-resources/newsletter 

Cooking Up Your Website

Creating a website can take up as much time as you will allow it; it will fill any available minute -- unless you have a game plan. If all you need is a simple website, Google Sites (already available in your Google Workspace environment) can fit the bill. This week, we will look at the ingredients you need to cook up your website in Google Sites.

Ingredients for a simple Google Site:

• 1 domain to publish your website on

• 1 Google Workspace account to access the Google Sites builder

• 5-6 pages worth of textual content*
  *The number and nature of pages depend on what you want on your site, but generally speaking, don't have more than 6 top-level navigation items if you can help it.

• Enough pictures to make each page interesting

• 1 Google Form for contacting you

• 1 Terms of Use document

• 1 Privacy Policy document

• 1 Disclaimer document

• 1 choice of Theme (a set of fonts, style, and an accent color for a cohesive look and feel)

Optional:

• 1-2 other complementary colors to your main accent color

• 1 logo

• 1 header image

• 1 blog or YouTube channel or other social media

• 1 direct booking URL

• 1 newsletter signup and email tool (usually outside of website)

• 1 Google Analytics account

Tips for end-users and small businesses:

💎 Before starting, have clarity about:

• Who is your audience?

• On what device(s) do you think they will access your website?

• What do you want them to do on your site?

• What information will they need to access?

• What information is first priority and what's secondary? This will help you with the page hierarchy.

Tips for mid-size companies and large enterprises:

💎 Google Sites are perfect for internal use for teams or projects. They allow your users to collect and display information in a more visual and accessible way. With the ease of use of Google Sites, your users won't need to have any experience in website development; they won't even have to write a single line of code.

❓ Did you enjoy this recipe? Leave a Comment.

Need help with Google Workspace? Contact me for a free first consult: 

https://www.kloudgem.com/get-in-touch/contact  

KloudGem tips: 

https://www.kloudgem.com/follow-resources/newsletter 

The One Thing You Should Know About Google Forms

One aspect of Google Forms trips up almost every user I talk to: the URL.

You see, most Google files have a URL that you can just grab from the address bar and link to or paste into an email, and as long as the file is shared with them, people will be able to access it.

Google Sites and Google Forms are outliers: both of these tools differentiate between editing URLs and published/viewing URLs, and it matters which one you send to your audience.

Today, we will focus on Google Forms:

Tips for end-users and small businesses:

A Google Form's editing URL ends in the word “edit” and its published/viewing URL ends in “viewform”. If you send the editing URL to someone who is not meant to edit the file, they won't have access; and if you grant them contributor access, they will be able to change your content.

So how to know what to send in Google Forms?

Editing URL:

When you are editing a Google Form, and you check the URL in the address bar, you will see the word "edit" in there. That is an indicator that it is meant only for you and your collaborators, with whom you are creating this Form; it is not for public consumption. You won't be able to have your target audience fill out your Form at that URL.

Published URL:

You can get to your published URL, the one you can send to your audience, in one of two ways:

1. Click the eye icon in the top rightish corner. You will know that you have the published URL form the viewform in the URL.

OR

2. Click the Send button. Don’t worry. Contrary to what it may sound like, the Send button is not going to  immediately send your form. It will give you several sending options. If you go to the link tab, you will be able to access the "published" URL in long or short form. And you can copy either of them.

💎 KloudGem 1: Have your Google Form send you an email when someone fills it out: 

In the editing view, click Responses, then the 3 dots in that view, and select Get email notifications for new responses. (Each collaborator will need to set this for themselves if they are interested in getting alerts.)

💎 KloudGem 2: If you use Google Workspace and you want people who are not part of your domain to be able to fill out your Form, you will have to make that adjustment in the Form Settings.

Tips for mid-size companies and large enterprises:

💎 Apart from the URL mystery and the tips above, you would also want to train your users on how to maximize your company's utilization of Google Forms with the settings for automatically collecting email addresses on your domain, as well as the more complex if-then logic, and the ability to turn the Form on and off.

Need a Google Workspace expert for your organization's digital transformation and change management? Contact me for a free first consult: https://www.kloudgem.com/get-in-touch/contact  

Do you know someone who could use these KloudGem tips? Feel free to send them this link: https://www.kloudgem.com/follow-resources/newsletter

KloudGem website: https://www.kloudgem.com