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Electronic Forms
Electronic forms are the computer equivalent of paper forms. Electronic forms are usually used for surveys, online
order forms, feedback, quizzes, contests, or any circumstance in which user input is required. Most organizations
use electronic forms to collect information about potential and current customers. The information is usually put
into a database, which can then be used to produce mailing lists or to complete user requests.
Your organization can easily create electronic forms if you have access to a Web server to publish HTML documents.
In addition, someone in your organization should know HTML to create the form definition tags; forms are relatively
easy to produce by writing simple HTML tags. Some examples of how to create HTML forms can be found at
(http://www.2kweb.net/guide-to-publishing-html/)
and (http://members.aol.com/harvillo/index.html).
At the bottom of every electronic form you will usually find a button labeled "Submit". This button sends the
user’s information to your server using CGI script. Therefore, you can write your own custom scripts and
programs to provide the "ACTION" part of your form if you know some CGI script. Your system administrator should
configure your Web server to allow you to use executable scripts.
Electronic forms can fit into any organization’s objectives as a means for audience development and expansion.
Organizations that provide electronic forms on their Web sites find that it is an easy and efficient way to
collect organized data on their users. Electronic form users most often agree that they are easier and quicker
to use than paper forms and provide a much easier mechanism for requesting information from an organization.
Some examples of arts organizations that use electronic forms can be found at the following Web sites:
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