Nastavitve objave

Using the 1KA system to send invitations

A new, redesigned interface for sending email invitations is now available.

The 'PUBLISH' - 'Invitations' system is designed for users who want to send a link to a survey to a large number of email addresses and track which respondents have answered the survey and which have not. This is particularly advantageous when sending reminders to those respondents who have not completed the survey. In addition, the 1KA system also supports (documents) the sending of invitations by post, SMS, etc. 

If you want to activate the use of the 1KA system for sending invitations, you need to enable the system in the 'PUBLISH' - 'Invitations' tab by clicking on the 'Enable 1KA system for invitations' button. The tab 'PUBLISH' - 'Invitations' - 'New invitation' - 'Creating new email invitation' opens.

*

 

In the Recipient list field, select the previously created recipient list. You can edit and add lists in the 'Lists management' tab. Clicking on 'New list' will open the interface for creating a new list.

*

Click on the 'Edit columns' button to select the fields you want to add - email, first name, last name, password, title, phone or other. You can enter recipients manually in the fields or import them by clicking on the 'Import list' button. If you are entering recipients manually, you can add them by clicking on the plus icon 'Add' to the right of the last recipient.

*

Once you have created a list of recipients, you select it when you send it, in the 'New invitation' tab. The sender of the invitation is configured according to the selected mail server, which can be edited in the invitation settings. You can change the reply to email field as you wish.

Below the 'Creating new email invitation' tab, you will find the window for creating the message. Insert variables such as a link to complete the survey, a tracking code and an unsubscribe link by clicking on the 'Insert variable' checkbox. You can also save the message as a template by clicking on the 'Save as template' button.

*

In the right tab 'Settings', you can edit the following invitation settings:

  • Sending method: email or code generation, for sending by letter, SMS,...;
  • Sending server: 1KA Arnes or your own server;
  • Status tracking: whether you want to track respondents - in this case each respondent receives their own personalised code;
  • Code entry method: in URL or manual entry.

*

In addition, you can use the settings to allow access to the survey without a code - only to the survey author or to everyone.

An overview of the invitations sent can be found in the 'Invitation status' tab and a list of all recipients in the 'All recipients' tab. You can also send a reminder or a thank you to respondents in the 'Invitation status' tab next to each list, or in the 'All Recipients' tab, where you can send a reminder or a thank you to all recipients of a particular survey. You can specify that the reminder or thank you is sent to everyone, or only to certain statuses of recipients (e.g. those who have not yet completed the survey).

Sending Email Invitations

Standard ways of conducting online surveys

Two emails or untracked invitations sent to the entire list of respondents are almost always sufficient, as follows:

  • In the first email, you invite all potential respondents in the form "I invite you to complete the survey ...".
  • The second email should follow 2-3 days after the first, but no more than a week. In it, you should again address the entire list of potential respondents (both those who have already completed the questionnaire and those who have not yet done so) with the same salutation to the effect: "A few days ago you were invited to complete the survey .... We sincerely thank all those who have responded. For those of you who have not yet responded to the survey, we once again invite you to do so ..."

The two messages are sent to the entire list of potential respondents in the usual way of sending emails, where you send an email invitation with the URL of the survey in your client (Gmail, Yahoo, MS Outlook, Thunderbird, etc.). It is true, however, that there are restrictions that need to be taken into account, as in some places there is a limit on the number of emails sent per day (e.g. Gmail has a limit of 500 addresses for individuals in 2023 when sending via the web application). This can be solved by spreading the sending of your invitations across several days, or by sending from several different email accounts.

 

Special cases:

When you want to send a large number of invitations (three, four, etc.) or when you have a list containing thousands of people, you most likely need a system to send invitations.
When using the 1KA e-mail system for sending invitations, which is available for users of the 3KA package for individuals and for users of the business packages for groups, the following should be taken into account:

  • Using 1KA to send invitations is usually not necessary, especially if there are only a few hundred addresses, as it is quicker and easier to send email invitations from your own email account (Gmail, Yahoo, MS Outlook, Thunderbird ...).
  • The system allows tracking the status of the respondent or non-respondent and related reminders to the remaining non-respondents.
  • It is worth considering whether we really need a third or fourth e-mail reminder. It has been shown that a third and fourth reminder only minimally increases the participation rate, while complicating and prolonging the data collection phase.
  • It should be noted that the use of e-mail addresses for the purposes of the survey is not allowed without the addressee's permission. You may therefore only send survey invitations to addressees who have given their prior consent or whose email addresses have been collected in a related administrative process of an organisation where you have the authority and permission to send email invitations, as it is undeniably clear from the context of the survey that this is a specific internal evaluation of users. It is therefore the user's responsibility to ensure that they do not abuse respondents' privacy by using the 1KA system, e.g. for the purposes of spam invitations or for any other purpose, as also defined in the terms of use and the anti-spam policy.
  • If you do not need to track the status of the respondents, we advise you to send the same (non-individualized) survey URL in the invitation, which should also be mentioned in the invitation, e.g. "We guarantee you complete privacy of your answers, so the survey URLs are not individualized...". This helps to increase the response rate, as many respondents are increasingly annoyed by the fact that they receive an individualized URL, knowing that this in principle gives insight into the individual response.

 

The right to use the 1KA email system and the Terms of Use

The user may obtain the right to use the 1KA invitation system by purchasing a 3KA package for individuals or by purchasing a business package for groups, whereby the 1KA invitation system may only be used with the user's own SMTP server settings. In doing so, the user agrees that in accordance with the terms of use and the anti-spam policy, invitations will only be sent to known recipients who have either previously explicitly agreed to participate in the study, or to recipients where it is clear that this is an evaluation of a group for which the user has administrative responsibilities and data (members of an association, course attendees, subscribers, personal network, etc.)

On 1KA.Arnes.si, a new, redesigned interface for sending email invitations is available. More >>


Some of the functionalities described are only available for users of the 3KA package for individuals, and for users of the business packages for groups.


Setting a Custom Survey URL

When you create a survey in 1KA, it is assigned a random string of numbers and letters, which then appear in the survey URL; for example www.1ka.si/a/4669.

In the 'PUBLISH' – 'Links' tab, you can click on the 'Create custom URL' button to add a URL that is more engaging and appealing to respondents. You can use a minimum of three characters (č, ć, š, ž, đ characters can not be used). The system distinguishes between upper and lower case letters.


The functionality is available for users of the 2KA and 3KA packages for individuals, and for users of the business packages for groups.


Related content

Sending Invitations via 1KA's SMTP E-mail System or via a Gmail User Account (Server)

Gmail SMTP can be used by any user with a Gmail account, but there are some limitations, especially on the number of emails sent per day. More information is available here.

In the 'PUBLISH' – 'Invitations', you first need to enable the system by clicking on the 'Enable 1KA system for invitations' button:

Doing so opens the '1 - Settings' step, where you can edit 'General invitations settings' and 'Settings for Email Server'

To send email invitations via the SMTP settings of your Gmail email address, please follow the instructions below:

  • Sign in to your Google account and check your settings:
    • Make sure you have your IMAP access turned on:
      • Open Gmail on your computer.
      • Click the settings icon in the upper right corner → Show all settings.
      • Click the Forward tab, then on POP/IMAP.
      • In the 'IMAP access' section, select 'Enable IMAP'.
      • Click 'Save changes'.
    • Allow access for less secure applications. Open your Google account and from the menu on the left, select the Security tab → Access for less secure applications → Turn on access:
  • Turn on 2-step verification:
    • Open your Google account.
    • In the navigation panel choose Security.
    • Under 'Sign in to Google', select 2-step verification → Get started.
    • Follow the instructions on the screen.
  • Create a password to access the application:
    • Open your Google account.
    • Select Security.
    • Under 'Sign in to Google', select 'App passwords'. You may need to sign up.
    • At the bottom, select: 'Select app' and then enter the application, select 'Other' → name as desired (e.g. 1KA) → Generate.
    • Follow the instructions to enter the password to access the application. The password to access the application is a 16-digit code in the yellow bar on the device.
  • In the 'PUBLISH' - 'Invitations' - 'Settings' tab - 'Settings for Email Server' you must enter the following information:
    • Sender's name: name and surname
    • Sender's email: your email address
    • Reply-to: your email address
    • Username: your email address
    • Password: 16-digit code you set as the application access password (Step: Create application access password)
    • Authentication (No/Yes): Yes
    • Encryption (None/SSL/TLS): SSL
    • Port: 465
    • Host: smtp.gmail.com
  • Click 'Test settings' below. You will receive a test message to your email address:

 

  • If the test is successful, then Save the settings.

 

Keep in mind that Gmail is constantly updating its settings. These instructions for setting up invitations via the Gmail server were last tested in September 2023, so we advise you to check the current settings in Gmail's documentation before sending invitations.

1KA system for sending invitations at 1KA.arnes.si

On 1KA.arnes.si, there is a new, redesigned interface for sending email invitations. If you want to activate the use of the 1KA system for sending invitations, you need to enable the system in the 'PUBLISH' - 'Invitations' tab by clicking on the 'Enable 1KA system for invitations' button. In the 'PUBLISH' - 'Invitations' - 'Settings' tab, you can edit the general settings of the invitations and the settings of the email server. When setting up the server, select 'Send via custom server' and then click on the 'Server settings' button.

After clicking on the 'Server Settings' button, you will be taken to the window, where you can enter the same information as above.


The functionality is available for users of the 3KA package for individuals, and for users of the business packages for groups.


 

Related content

Granting Survey Access to 1KA Helpdesk

Protecting user data is one of 1KA's top priorities. Access to data is limited to the author (editor) of the survey and additional co-editors, which are added by the author of the survey.

1KA's helpdesk and the website administrator of www.1KA.si do not have access to surveys and data without the explicit consent of the user.

In case the user requires assistance from 1KA’s administrators, the user must grant temporary access to 1KA's helpdesk (until the issue is resolved). Despite granted access, administrators are still committed to the highest standards of privacy protection, as defined in the Terms of Use.

Each survey has an icon in the top left corner which enables you to grant access to 1KA's helpdesk and administrators. You have to click 'Grant access to help centre'.

Grant access to help centre
 

The author can add co-editors in the tab 'EDIT' – 'Settings' – 'Editor access'.

Related content

1KA is free to use for basic users