The Questions feature allows you to collect data from your subscribers when they sign up for updates. Questions can be used to collect data such as:

  • Location: zip code, city, neighborhood
  • Roles: resident, visitor, city official
  • Interests, personal information, demographics.

You can use data collected via questions from your subscribers in filtering criteria when sending a bulletin or creating a segment, allowing you to define a very specific audience for your communications. You can also use questions data to create custom macros, which allow you to personalize your bulletins. For more information about refining your recipient list with filtering criteria, see Questions Filtering Criteria. For more information about personalizing your bulletins with custom macros, see Personalizing with Custom Macros.

Accessing Questions

To work with questions for your account, you must have the Account Administrator role.  

  • In the left navigation menu, click Questions.

One the Questions page, you can take the following actions:

  • To delete a question, select the check box next to it and click Delete.
  • To modify a question, click its name in the list.
  • To change the answers for a question, click its name and then click Answers in the menu on the right.
  • To restrict a question to a topic, click the question's name and click Topics in the menu on the right. For more information, see Restricting and Reordering your Questions.

Question Visibility

When creating a question, you can choose whether it is Publicly Visible. If a question is not publicly visible, it will not be displayed to subscribers. Administrators can still view the question and edit subscriber responses for that question. You can also upload lists of subscribers with responses to a not publicly visible question. The question must be publicly visible in order for subscribers to add or edit their responses to it.

Note that if a question is assigned only to restricted topics, marking the question as Publicly Visible does not mean that everyone can see it. Only subscribers of a restricted topic will see this question.

Topic Restrictions

When you create a question and make it publicly visible, this question is asked of all subscribers. If you intend to target specific subscribers when they sign up, you can assign that question to a specific topic or topics. Once a question has been assigned to at least one topic, it is no longer shown during sign-up across your entire account. You must assign it to any additional topics if you want the question displayed during subscriber sign-up for that topic.

For more information about assigning a question to a topic, see Restricting and Reordering your Questions.

Questions Data Fields

The following fields must be filled out in order to create a new question:

  • Name - Give your question a descriptive name. Subscribers will not see this text.
  • Question Text - Compose your question. Your subscribers will see this text, so be concise and clear.
  • Question Type - Select a question type:
    • Free Text: For questions where you expect a text response (e.g., first name, zip code, thoughts on legislation, etc.). For this type, set the response field size at the bottom of this page to match the length of responses you expect: short single-line, long single-line, or multi-line. All field sizes have a character limit of 1000. 
    • Select One: For questions where you expect a single response selection from the subscriber (e.g., What is your preferred language?). If you choose Select One, set the question display to either Radio buttons or Drop-down select.
    • Select One or More: For questions that can have one or more answers. Response options will be available for selection with a check box. If you choose this question type, indicate whether the response options should be displayed in two columns with the Columnar field.
  • Macros - If you want to associate a question to a Macro, you need to do so on the Macros page.
  • Publicly Visible - Set to Yes to show the question to subscribers immediately. (Note: If you select question types Select One or Select One or More, subscribers will not see the question until you have created answers).

For Select One and Select One or More questions, you must provide answers and enable the question before it is displayed to subscribers.

Best Practices for using Questions

  • When creating a Question or uploading answers to Questions, please carefully consider the type of data you are collecting from and uploading on your subscribers and whether your question will be Publicly Visible. Subscribers can view, add or edit their answers to Publicly Visible Questions on their subscriber profile. It is strongly recommended that you refer to all applicable regulations involving data processing before proceeding.
  • You have the option of enabling a setting that requires subscribers to create a password to access their subscriber profile to view and edit their subscriptions, preferences, and answers to Publicly Visible Questions (Note: If a subscriber is directed to their subscriber profile straight from their inbox, no password is required). As a best practice, we recommend that agencies enable this mandatory password setting (Account Administrators should contact Support to do so). If you choose not to require a password, it will be optional for subscribers to set up a password. Subscribers who opt out will be able to access their subscriber profile – including answers to Publicly Visible questions – without a password with just their email or mobile phone number, depending on what they used to subscribe to updates. 
  • It is your responsibility as the user of govDelivery to ensure you have obtained the requisite consents and that you have confirmed the legal basis for use of any information you upload to the system before you upload it. If you are unsure whether you have this consent, speak to your data protection officer about the appropriate method to obtain informed consent.
  • You should ensure your govDelivery account is set up to display your agency's own privacy policy to subscribers, otherwise the govDelivery Subscriber Privacy Policy will display as default.