DiRT (Digital Research Tools) has a new home! Please visit Bamboo DiRT to explore this excellent collection of research tools.
Definition:
There are many available tools that allow you to input or collect data online, export the data in a variety of formats, and even publish it on the web.
Tools:
- Blog Analysis Toolkit: toolkit for capturing blog data; it "extracts elements of each blog entry, including title, permalink, pubdate, and description, and stores [this data] in the database." (Free, web-based)
- EditGrid: "an Online Spreadsheet. It has all the standard spreadsheet features [but also] focuses on sharing, collaboration and publishing features" (Free, with premium service available; web-based)
- Google Docs: allows you to "create and share your work online", with the ability to upload from and save to your desktop, edit documents remotely, control access to your documents, share changes in real time, etc (Free, web-based)
- DabbleDB: "Dabble DB helps you create online databases on the web." (Subscription, with free Commons available; web-based)
- DapperFox: Firefox extension that enables you to create an RSS feed for a web site that lacks one (Free, Firefox extension)
- Feedity: Create RSS web feeds from any webpage. Subscribe to custom created RSS feeds, publish custom created RSS feeds on your website, or track webpage changes. Also allows the aggregation of custom created RSS feeds, and integration with mashups. (Free, with premium plans available; web-based)
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Formspring: "FormSpring's form builder gives you an easy way to design useful, powerful web forms without any programming...easily create contact forms, administer surveys, accept online donations, manage event registrations, collect online payments..." and more (Free, with premium service available; web-based)
- Freebase: "an open database of the world’s information. It’s built by the community and for the community – free for anyone to query, contribute to, build applications on top of, or integrate into their websites" (Free, web-based)
- Heurist: a flexible academic database for more than 70 types of digital records--easily extended (Free service, Open Source planned 2009)
- Scrapbook: "ScrapBook is a Firefox extension, which helps you to save Web pages and easily manage collections. Key features are lightness, speed, accuracy and multi-language support." (Free, browser-based)
- Survey Gizmo: "Create surveys, landing pages, polls, quizzes, contact forms, ticketing queues and mobile marketing campaigns." (Free, with Pro accounts available; web-based)
- Survey Monkey: helps you to create online surveys, with tools to design the survey, collect responses, and analyze results (Free limited version, with premium service available; web-based)
- Virtual Lightbox for Museums and Archives (VLMA): "an educational tool for collecting and reusing in a structured fashion the online contents of museums and archives with visual components. With VLMA, you can browse and search collections, construct personal collections, export these collections to xml or Impress presentation format, annotate them, and share your collections with other VLMA users." (Free, web-based)
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Wufoo: "HTML form builder helps you create contact forms, web surveys, and invitations so you can collect the data, registrations and online payments you need without writing a single line of code." (Free for 3 forms, web-based)
- Zoomerang: online survey tool; includes "advanced reporting, PowerPoint charts, skip logic, custom branding and more" (Commercial, web-based)
- JotForm: "create web forms, collect submissions and payments from your web site visitors" (Free limited service and premium commercial, web-based)
Resources:
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