About SoGoSurvey.com, the Online Survey Platform I liked!

When I started to think about choosing a proper tool to do surveys that will benefit my PhD research, I have already decided to go for build up my online questionnaires. Several benefits can be obtained from this tool. It is a convenient and much easier method for both the researcher and respondents. It is also a method that can be circulated easily among respondents with much less time, effort and money than those required in traditional surveying methods.

My initial problem was choosing an online survey website that would suit my requirements; those can be stated in the following points:

• Reasonable subscription fee (preferably free), after all I am a PhD student with limited budget.
• The ability to offer complex skip logic and branching that I need to lead respondents to their relevant questions according to their responses.
• I am not advanced or highly experienced technically, so it was also very important to me that the website interface to be as easy as possible.
• The final point is that I also wanted to introduce my survey through a "good-looking" website that would "encourage" the respondent to participate.

I used to hear about Survey Monkey, but the first look at the pricing section immediately deterred me! I started to search online for other websites, and I found several. Some were really expensive and the others did not have the "appeal". I was initially convinced with QuestionPro. I have chosen their trial version and I built up my survey. However, after the trial period ended they asked me to upgrade to the "corporate edition" which was to cost me $99 monthly! Their reason was that I used complex logic features which I can continue using them only via that edition!

I did not like this way of "trapping" potential customers as there was no indication which features relate to which edition while I was building up my questionnaires. Therefore, I started searching again packed up with that previous - bad - experience. This time I used the key word "academic" while searching using Google. I found myself interested in SoGoSurvey.com through a link within this website which provided information about pricing. I was initially pleased to find out that I can use the "professional edition" with no costs if I am a student. However, I looked further through SoGoSurvey.com to find out what they also have to offer. I became happier as I found out that all my requirements can be fulfilled via this website.

 

  

I subscribed using my university email address and I already built up one questionnaire. SoGoSurvey.com offered me much easier interface than I experienced before. Branching, skip-logic, piping, etc. were among the many options they offer to produce really professional surveys. The website has the "appeal" I looked for and it gave the option to choose from several design options for the "look" of my questionnaire through the (Look and Feel) section. And the best news to me is: they offer free subscription to the "professional edition" for students and academics!

 I could not ask for more... thanks to SoGoSurvey.com

Mohamed Abdeldayem Soltan

A PhD student at Northumbria University,

Newcastle upon Tyne