SMS panel

An SMS panel is a citizen panel where communication is carried out by text messages on mobile telephones.

Citizen are invited to register on the homepage for partaking in a citizen panel. The method is useful if you want fast feedback from many people. Since the answers are to be given via text message, the questions must not be too complicated. They could be:

• Yes/No/Don’t know questions 
• Ranging questions 
• Questions of picking one proposal 
• There are also opportunities for short text messages. 

Be careful to formulate questions so they are easy to understand. Publish answers, summaries, etc. on the homepage as a feedback. Decide if the answers should be paid by the panel member or the recipient. Telephone traffic is a cost, check what is included in your telephony contracts. SMS panel is a fast and simple way of receiving points of view. Today, access to mobile telephones is high, and they are particularly popular with the young. An answering cost could be negatively regarded by some. If youth (minors) are participating, permission from legal guardians is required in most cases. The invitation could preferably be aimed at various defined groups, like the residents of a certain area, youth, visitors to a festival, etc. SALAR has produced a simple web-based tool for handling issues via SMS. Using the programme is free of charge – the only cost is for the SMS messages. (SALAR)

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