Is there a way from within Moodle to set up a feedback form of some kind? Where a visitor to the website can send an email to the admin? Or what about a tell a friend form, where someone can refer the site to their friends? Or is it necessary to install a separate script to do these sorts of things?
Sending an e-mail is easy enough using say Label (see image). Tell a friend would also be very easy by creating a Resource activity using a web page with a form. There are tons of ready made java and cgi forms like this.
Hi Bryan,
Having a ready made form that could be cusotmized by the webmaster with their own icons for "Tell-A-Friend" and "Contact Whoever" already built into Moodle might be a better long term solution.
Teachers could also use this in their courses as a well so students could send e-mail to them from the side. (Now there may be a future messaging component which may include the feature of e-mailing a teacher or another course/site participant (admin, etc.) in the works. I do not know fully about this.)
WP1
Having a ready made form that could be cusotmized by the webmaster with their own icons for "Tell-A-Friend" and "Contact Whoever" already built into Moodle might be a better long term solution.
Teachers could also use this in their courses as a well so students could send e-mail to them from the side. (Now there may be a future messaging component which may include the feature of e-mailing a teacher or another course/site participant (admin, etc.) in the works. I do not know fully about this.)
WP1
Here is one. Make an html page with this code and have a resource or
label point to it. I'm not sure about WP's idea about having these part
of Moodle. I can't think of a lot of activities that my students are
likely to "tell a friend about" ... but then again, maybe my activities
are dull and boring... 
<!-- ********** NOTE - This is submittal form ******* -->
<!-- ********** That you paste into your web page ******* -->
<!-- ********** Then you 'configure' the values shown ******* -->
<P align=center>Send URL to Friend.</p>
<form method="POST" action="sendurl.php">
<!-- ************* Configure Section - ************** -->
<!-- ********** You must set these 'values' ********* -->
<!-- Change 'value' to site name - appears in the message to friend -->
<input type=hidden name="sitename" value="Your Web Page Name">
<!-- Change 'value' to site URL you want to be sent to the friend -->
<input type=hidden name="urlis" value="http://www.yourdomainname/yourpagename">
<!-- Change 'value' to link you want on the Thank You page - generated by sendurl.php (BTW: you could just use the url (file name) of the page with the form, in which case , the full path is not required if the sendurl.php is in the same folder. -->
<input type=hidden name="redirectlink" value="http://www.yourdomainname/yournextpagename">
<!-- ************* End of Configure Section ************ -->
<P align=center>Your Name:<input type=text name="visitor" size="25"> <br>
Your Email: <input type=text name="visitormail" size="25"> <br>
Friend's Name: <input type=text name="friend" size="25"> <br>
Friend's Email: <input type=text name="friendmail" size="25"> <br>
Notes(optional):<br>
<textarea name=notes rows=4 cols=22></textarea> <br>
<font size=2>Script From:<br>
<a href="http://www.ibdjohn.com/sendurl/">'sendurl.php'</a><br>
</font><br>
<br>
<input type=submit VALUE="Send URL"><br>
<br>
</form>
</td></tr></table>
<!-- ****************** End of form submittal section ************* -->
You'll also need to upload the following file and save it on your server: http://www.ibdjohn.com/sendurl/sendurltxt.php
Note. These scripts are (clearly) from ibdjohn.com ...
<!-- ********** NOTE - This is submittal form ******* -->
<!-- ********** That you paste into your web page ******* -->
<!-- ********** Then you 'configure' the values shown ******* -->
<P align=center>Send URL to Friend.</p>
<form method="POST" action="sendurl.php">
<!-- ************* Configure Section - ************** -->
<!-- ********** You must set these 'values' ********* -->
<!-- Change 'value' to site name - appears in the message to friend -->
<input type=hidden name="sitename" value="Your Web Page Name">
<!-- Change 'value' to site URL you want to be sent to the friend -->
<input type=hidden name="urlis" value="http://www.yourdomainname/yourpagename">
<!-- Change 'value' to link you want on the Thank You page - generated by sendurl.php (BTW: you could just use the url (file name) of the page with the form, in which case , the full path is not required if the sendurl.php is in the same folder. -->
<input type=hidden name="redirectlink" value="http://www.yourdomainname/yournextpagename">
<!-- ************* End of Configure Section ************ -->
<P align=center>Your Name:<input type=text name="visitor" size="25"> <br>
Your Email: <input type=text name="visitormail" size="25"> <br>
Friend's Name: <input type=text name="friend" size="25"> <br>
Friend's Email: <input type=text name="friendmail" size="25"> <br>
Notes(optional):<br>
<textarea name=notes rows=4 cols=22></textarea> <br>
<font size=2>Script From:<br>
<a href="http://www.ibdjohn.com/sendurl/">'sendurl.php'</a><br>
</font><br>
<br>
<input type=submit VALUE="Send URL"><br>
<br>
</form>
</td></tr></table>
<!-- ****************** End of form submittal section ************* -->
You'll also need to upload the following file and save it on your server: http://www.ibdjohn.com/sendurl/sendurltxt.php
Note. These scripts are (clearly) from ibdjohn.com ...
Hi Tom,
I am going to check out the form script you posted above.
I was referring more to the "business" user of Moodle who might want visitors to "Tell-A-Friend" about a site or a course. Something more like that.
I just think a special "Tell-A-Friend" icon and link would be useful and give abetter impression than just using the "Lable" function. I feel this is also true for "Contact" and "Email". These could be listed in the Activities/Resourse List which is visible when editing is turned on. Maybe even a "Tell-A-Friend" and "Contact" block would be helpful in this regard.
WP1
I am going to check out the form script you posted above.
I was referring more to the "business" user of Moodle who might want visitors to "Tell-A-Friend" about a site or a course. Something more like that.
I just think a special "Tell-A-Friend" icon and link would be useful and give abetter impression than just using the "Lable" function. I feel this is also true for "Contact" and "Email". These could be listed in the Activities/Resourse List which is visible when editing is turned on. Maybe even a "Tell-A-Friend" and "Contact" block would be helpful in this regard.
WP1
From playing around with the questionnaire module briefly, I have realized this could be configured to create a "contact" or "email" form or any other kind of feedback form. The drawback of this is the recipient of the form input wouldn't be able to just click reply to the email inputted on the form, and would have to cut and paste it instead. But it would allow the collection of a variety of data from the user. Still doesn't take care of tell a friend either. Perhaps this is something I should raise in the business users course.
Actually, that is what I first thought to do (an external script) but I wanted to see if there was a built-in method.
Sending an email through a form to the site admin, webmaster or instructor seems to me to be something pretty basic and good standard web design practice on ANY website. I was kind of surprised when I realized today that there was no such way available. There seems to be an assumption in Moodle that everyone will join a course and be able to be in touch with someone through that method but what if there is just some clueless person who can't get registered for any course? How are they supposed to be able to contact someone for help? It isn't a very good idea to just post an email address, especially if people use web-based email they have to cut and paste it rather than it opening up automatically in their mail program, and also putting an address out in the open just subjects one to spam. It's better to use a form because the address can be hidden.
As for the tell a friend, I was thinking more of something for recommending the website a sa whole, and that probably isn't quite as basic and is something more pertinent for a business website. A university probably wouldn't need it. But it would be nice to have.
Sending an email through a form to the site admin, webmaster or instructor seems to me to be something pretty basic and good standard web design practice on ANY website. I was kind of surprised when I realized today that there was no such way available. There seems to be an assumption in Moodle that everyone will join a course and be able to be in touch with someone through that method but what if there is just some clueless person who can't get registered for any course? How are they supposed to be able to contact someone for help? It isn't a very good idea to just post an email address, especially if people use web-based email they have to cut and paste it rather than it opening up automatically in their mail program, and also putting an address out in the open just subjects one to spam. It's better to use a form because the address can be hidden.
As for the tell a friend, I was thinking more of something for recommending the website a sa whole, and that probably isn't quite as basic and is something more pertinent for a business website. A university probably wouldn't need it. But it would be nice to have.
Don't most people just do this stuff on their website. Moodle isn't really designed to manage content in the way you suggest. Perhaps someday Moodle will become more of a content management system so a webmaster can do everything.
If you want to add a piece to Moodle, here is a starting point:
http://www.tamingthebeast.net/articles3/tell-a-friend-script.htm