Cameo’s questions form type no longer requires an attached list to identify its respondents. Unwanted side effects of the consent buttons provided by this form no longer apply.

Background

Previously, each questions form had to have a corresponding list (with source questionnaire), which collected responses together. The form now collects its responses directly. This means you now only need a list if you want to communicate with the respondents. And if you do need that, you can make the list at any time: it doesn’t have to exist to let the form work.

Consent

The questions form can ask the respondent for three different kinds of consent:

  • processing consent: to agree to process the data they provide. The only way they can not agree is by not completing the form: by definition, we have to process the data in order to even collect and save it. Arguably, therefore, a button for that is not needed. But with the button, the agreement becomes explicit.
  • specific consent: whether they allow further contact specifically about the questionnaire (for example, the outcome of a petition, or a summary of the results). This does not allow you to send them broader communications (such as newsletters or solicitations to join or donate).
  • general consent: whether they allow further contact in general. It is sensible to give them some idea of what this involves (e.g. a mailshot two or three times a year). Previously the form required a second, manual list for this. However, that was superfluous, as communication would take place simply by adding them as a contact.

If the respondent failed to give general consent, the form reflected this by adding opt-out all to their membership record. However, it has become apparent that this had two unwanted consequences:

  • they ended up opted out from the specific list as well. Lists with source questionnaire now ignore opt-out all for that reason (you or they can still explicitly opt-out someone from that list later if necessary).
  • existing members found themselves opted-out from all further mailshots. While strictly correct, this was a draconian interpretation of consent. It should only really have been applied to new contacts, not existing members, and that is indeed what now happens.

Form preparation

Changes to editing questions forms all comprise removing things:

  • no setting to specify a list linked to the form (and no warning when there isn’t one)
  • no manual list required to which they are explicitly added if they give general consent.
  • no evidence settings for the various consents. Instead, the response notes the wording of each consent question they agree to (and no longer puts it in membership list subscription evidence).

Questionnaire lists

If you want to communicate with respondents to a particular questions form (for example, to inform them of progress or outcome), as before, make an automatic list whose source is questionnaire. But now, when you do this, also select the form you want it to apply to. (Previously this was the other way around). That means you can create the list any time after the form, including after you have already received many responses.

This list source only selects people who gave specific consent when responding to the form as its subscribers. Cameo no longer opts-out individuals declining specific consent: instead the list no longer considers them as automatic subscribers in the first place. Indeed opting-out could not work any more, as no list exists initially to opt-out from.

So that the blanket opt-out-all added to new contacts who declined general consent does not override specific consent for updates about the form itself, questionnaire lists (unlike all others) ignore opt-out-all.

A new button in member info → questionnaire and petition responses, make list and template makes both a suitable list and a corresponding template for you so you can email respondents.

Responses

Managing responses in member info → questionnaire and petition responses remains largely unchanged.

  • To see responses to a questions form, you now choose the name of the form directly, instead of the name of the list formerly attached to it. As these names were often the same, you will probably not notice the difference.
  • New responses (made after this change) display the evidence for consent rather than just status.
  • You can now add or amend an uploaded file response (it is still not possible to add or amend a map response).