Abundant Google Form
The purpose of these instructions is to help a community league create a "database" to store answers to their Abundant Communities Initiative interviews. The process begins with a "Lending" community league making a copy of their Google Form and ends with the "Receiving" league entering data into their own online form.
Introduction
You really, really should begin by sitting down with the Lending league to see first hand how they use a Google Form to capture their ACI interview data. However if you are expert with computers in general or with Google Docs in particular then, of course, "fill your boots, eh!"
Some assumptions:
Ask the Lending League to Share!
Howard Lawrence can introduce you to a league willing and able to lend the Google Form they are using to enter data. You should begin by sitting down with the Lending league to see their Google Form and the Google Sheet (spreadsheet) into which the form stores data.
The Lending league has given you the tour? Then you are ready for one more favour from them. Ask the Lending community league to make a copy of their Google Form. They will do something like this:
The Receiving League Receives The Lent Google Form
Log into your gmail.com account to open the email sent by the Lending league. You should find an email from them that looks like this:
Introduction
You really, really should begin by sitting down with the Lending league to see first hand how they use a Google Form to capture their ACI interview data. However if you are expert with computers in general or with Google Docs in particular then, of course, "fill your boots, eh!"
Some assumptions:
- Your league's ACI Interview Guide has the same questions (and in the same order) as the Lending league's guide.
- We assume the reader is comfortable using a web browser to use a site like hotmail.com to send & receive email or perhaps Ebay to sell things, etc; if you are not comfortable doing things online with a browser then you might not be the gal or guy for the job.
- You have a Google gmail.com account (go to gmail.com and click "Create an account").
- When we write "you" we mean the Receiving league.
Ask the Lending League to Share!
Howard Lawrence can introduce you to a league willing and able to lend the Google Form they are using to enter data. You should begin by sitting down with the Lending league to see their Google Form and the Google Sheet (spreadsheet) into which the form stores data.
The Lending league has given you the tour? Then you are ready for one more favour from them. Ask the Lending community league to make a copy of their Google Form. They will do something like this:
- Use Google Drive to view the folder containing their form.
- Right-click on their form and select "Make a copy".
- Rename the newly created copy with a name that reflects the Receiving league: right-click and select "Rename" (best not to have two or more leagues working from the same form!)
- Share the newly renamed form with the Receiving league's gmail.com account: right-click and select "Share"; from the resulting dialog box, copy the "Link to share" so that you can later send it to the Receiving league; Under "Invite people", enter the Receiving league's gmail address, etc.
- Tell the Receiving league you are done, sharing the link (the URL).
The Receiving League Receives The Lent Google Form
Log into your gmail.com account to open the email sent by the Lending league. You should find an email from them that looks like this:
In the above screen shot the Lending league is "Mark Gordon" who renamed the copied Google Form to "Receiving CL ACI Form".
You should click the email's "Open in Forms" button. This will open "Receiving CL ACI Form" in your browser. It will look like this:
You should click the email's "Open in Forms" button. This will open "Receiving CL ACI Form" in your browser. It will look like this:
Don't worry if the form you see is different in a number of ways from the image above. The Lending league will have set up their data entry form differently than the example.
Also note that the form you see is actually the design of the form, not the online web page into which you will enter your ACI data.
A Vital Step: Secure Your Neighbours' Data!
Even though the Lending league's volunteers are undoubtedly nice people, you must break the connection from the Lending league to your copy of their Google Form. If you skip this step then the Lending league (and others with whom they have shared the form) will be able to view your neighbours' ACI answers. Not good. Not legal.
As soon as you can see your form design (as in the above image):
Also note that the form you see is actually the design of the form, not the online web page into which you will enter your ACI data.
A Vital Step: Secure Your Neighbours' Data!
Even though the Lending league's volunteers are undoubtedly nice people, you must break the connection from the Lending league to your copy of their Google Form. If you skip this step then the Lending league (and others with whom they have shared the form) will be able to view your neighbours' ACI answers. Not good. Not legal.
As soon as you can see your form design (as in the above image):
- Click the "File" menu option.
- Select the "Make a copy" option.
- Enter a name that you like (ex: "My League's ACI Form"); do not "Share it with the same people". No, do not share it!
- Close the browser window or tab th