The Scottish Government

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ANNEX 1 : ONLINE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

--------------------------INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS --------------------------------

The Scottish Executive is funding an external Evaluation of Scotland's Rural Community Gateway. There are three main reasons for the Evaluation: (1) to see whether it has been meeting its objectives; (2) to see how useful it is as a source of information, knowledge and networks for people in rural Scotland; and (3) to gather suggestions from a range of users about how it could be improved, and how it could be made sustainable.

In order to address these three main points, frequent users and infrequent users of the Gateway are being asked for feedback about the Gateway, through: an online survey, a frequent users' workshop, and infrequent users' workshops. These will all be taking place during January and February, with the final Evaluation report being produced in April.

Your input is vital to the Evaluation, and is your opportunity to say what you do and do not like about the Gateway, what parts of it work well for you, and less well; and how it should be improved - particularly for people in rural areas. You also have the chance to indicate specific ways that it could help either your location or the types of people you know, e.g. in terms of types of information or networking that the Gateway could or should provide. Finally, you can put forward your ideas as to whether the Gateway should be continued as it is, and whether/how it could move towards being self-supporting (with all the issues this naturally raises).

I really appreciate the time you take to respond to the questionnaire. Your responses will be collated and will make a difference to how the Gateway is shaped during its next phase. The findings from the survey will be pulled together so that your anonymity is assured (unless you particularly want your identity known), so please feel free to be as vocal as you wish.

If you would like further information about the Evaluation, please contact me on the following address:sarah.skerratt@gcal.ac.uk

Many sincere thanks,
Dr Sarah Skerratt
Contractor to SEERAD for the Evaluation of the Gateway.

How the survey is structured

The online survey is in the form of a questionnaire. Most of the questions require you to choose between options; however, there are also some which allow you to add comments, criticisms and suggestions. Please feel free to say as little or as much as you like. As stated above, your input will be used in the Evaluation of the Gateway, and is therefore extremely important. It should take about 15-20 minutes of your time. So, please make yourself a coffee, relax, and go ahead and have your say.

SECTION 1: HOW AND WHY DO YOU USE THE GATEWAY?

1.1.1. Please indicate when you first started using the Rural Community Gateway:

1.1.2. How did you first hear about the Gateway?

1.2. What would you say WERE your main reasons for using the Gateway in the beginning (please tick as many as are appropriate for you):

1.3. What would you say ARE your main reasons NOW for using the Gateway? (please tick as many as are appropriate for you):

1.4.1. When you go onto the Gateway, what is the first thing you do on the site?

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1.4.2. How often, typically, would you say you visit the Gateway site?

1.5.1. Do you CONTRIBUTE to the site, for example through putting forward a question to "Any Answers", by voting in a Poll, or by putting a question to "Ask the Expert"?

1.5.2. If you DO contribute: why do you contribute to the Gateway?

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1.5.3. If you DO NOT contribute:

1.6.1. We are trying to understand which features of the Gateway people value. So, please put the following specific features of the Gateway in order of importance for you (where "1" is the most important):

1.6.2. Which of the specific features of the Gateway would you MISS if it/they were withdrawn? Please indicate why you would miss these.

1.7.1. What do you LIKE about the Rural Gateway?

1.7.2. What do you DISLIKE about the Gateway?

1.8.1. Do you receive the weekly email update from the Editor of the Gateway?

Yes
No

1.8.2. If YES, please indicate how useful this update is to you:

1.9. Have you recommended the Rural Community Gateway to others?

Yes
No

1.9.1.

1.10. How can the marketing of the Gateway be improved so that more people find out about it and use it?

SECTION 2: THE GATEWAY COMPARED WITH OTHER WEBSITES

2.1.1. Is the Gateway the first place you go to for rural information and/or contacts?

Yes
No

2.1.2. If NO, where do you go first, and why?

2.2.2. Do you use other websites for information and/or contacts to do with rural issues?

Yes
No

If NO: Go to Section 3

2.2.2. If YES: which other sites do you use on a regular basis?

2.2.3. Please outline the types of information you get from the other sites which you CANNOT GET from the Gateway:

2.3.1. Does the Gateway give you information that you cannot get from other sites?

Yes
No

2.3.2. If YES: please give 1-3 examples of the types of information you can ONLY get on the Gateway:

2.4. Compared with other sites you use: what are the MAIN ADVANTAGES of using the Gateway?

2.5. Compared with other sites you use: what are the MAIN DISADVANTAGES of using the Gateway?

SECTION 3: YOUR EVALUATION

Finally, given your experiences, and the answers you have provided above, I need you to reflect on the two formal Objectives of the Rural Gateway. These are:

For Objective 1:

4.1.1. Do you think the Gateway has met this "one-stop shop" Objective?

[TICK ONE]

4.1.2. Why/Why not?

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For Objective 2:

4.2.1. Do you think the Gateway has become on "online community" for people in rural Scotland?

4.2.2. Why/Why not?

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4.2.3. Has the Rural Gateway allowed you to contact people and/or organisations you would otherwise not have been able to access?

Yes
No

4.2.4. If YES, how useful has this been to you?

4.2.5. Would you recommend the Gateway to others as a source of finding other people ( i.e. not only information) with experience in rural matters?

Yes
No

If NO, why not?

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4.2.6. Does using the Rural Gateway make you feel that you are part of a wider rural community in Scotland?

Yes
No

4.2.7. If YES, WHY:

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4.3.1. Are there specific aspects about living in a rural area that makes the Gateway particularly important for you?

Yes
No

4.3.2. If YES:

Anything further?

If you would like to add any further to the comments you have already made, please type here:

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Many thanks for completing the questionnaire.

Please indicate whether you would like to receive an electronic summary of the Evaluation Report when it is produced in April (please tick one):

Yes
No

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