faq.html

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layout: base
title: PIES | Frequently Asked Questions
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    <div class="container">

	<div class="row">
      <div class="col-md-3">
	      	<ul class="faqnav">
	      		<li><a href="#pies">PIES</a></li>
	      			<ul class="small">
	      				<li><a href="#what_is_pies">What does it do?</a></li>
	      				<!-- <li><a href="#webs">How does is work?</a></li> -->
	      				<li><a href="#is_free">Is it free?</a></li>
	      			</ul>
		  		<li><a href="#webs">Website Builder</a></li>
		  			<ul class="small">
		  				<li><a href="#visual_editor">Visual Editor</a></li>
		  			</ul>
		  		<!-- <li><a href="#soci">Social Link Builder</a></li> -->
			  	<li><a href="#winn">Win Number Calculator</a></li>
			  	<!-- <li><a href="#guid">Guides & Resources</a></li> -->
	      		<li><a href="#call">Call Time Tracker</a></li>
	      			<ul class="small">
	      				<li><a href="#log_data">Log Data</a></li>
	      				<li><a href="#manage_data">Manage Data</a></li>
	      				<li><a href="#send_reports">Send Reports</a></li>
	      			</ul>
	      		<li><a href="#soon">Coming Soon</a></li>
	      			<ul class="small">
	      				<li><a href="#soci">Social Link Builder</a></li>
	      				<li><a href="#guid">Guides & Resources</a></li>
	      			</ul>
	      	</ul>
      </div>
      
      <div class="col-md-9 pies-content">
      	<h1>Frequently Asked Questions</h1>
      	<h2 id="pies">PIES</h2>
      	<h3 id="what_is_pies">What does it do?</h3>
      	<p>PIES is a set of tools that make it easier to start and run a data-driven campaign using best practices.
      	</p>
      	
      	<!-- <h3>How does is work?</h3>
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	  	<h3 id="is_free">Is it free?</h3>
	  	<p>YES! PIES in Beta is free to progressive candidates.  Please check out our <a href="about.html#agreement">User Agreement</a>. If you are using our Website Builder tool, you will be responsible for domain registration and hosting fees - but don't worry, we've picked out providers that give the best rates around.
	  	</p>
	  	
	  	<h2 id="webs">Website Builder</h2>	
	  	
	  	<h3 id="visual_editor">Visual Editor</h3>

		<h4>What is the Visual Editor?</h4>
		<p>The Visual Editor is where you make your website your own. It contains all the tools to add content, upload images, preview, and publish your new website.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I preview my site?</h4>  
		<p>The preview is built into the Visual Editor.  When you make a change, click the "Preview" button under the option you changed to see how it looks. If you want to keep the change, click "Save" button. 
		</p>
		
		<h4>What is the sidebar?</h4>
		<p>The sidebar is the box on the side with everything you need to customize your site! You'll be guided through uploading images, adding content, and more. You can hide the sidebar at any time by clicking the purple "Hide" button, which will give you a bigger view of the site. You can also move the sidebar around by clicking the "Editor View" buttons at the bottom of the sidebar.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I publish my site?</h4>
		<p>By clicking the "Publish" button. But wait! First we have to add content.</p>
		
		<h4>What about mobile visitors?</h4>
		<p>Some numbers show that over 50% of visitors to campaign websites come from mobile devices like cell phones. The good news is that your website with PIES is mobile ready. That means your site will be easy to see and click, no matter what device a visitor uses. Check out the "Site View" options in the bottom of the sidebar to see how your site will look on any device.
		</p>
		
		<h3>Visual Editor - Theme</h3>

		<h4>What does the color scheme option do?</h4>
		<p>Every well-designed website has a color palette. You can choose from a set of ready-made palettes or create your own. If you have an image file of your campaign logo, you can use a palette generators to make sure the colors of your website work well with your logo.
		</p>
		
		<p>These are some popular ones:<p>
		<p><ul><li><a href="http://www.pictaculous.com/">Pictaculous</a>
		</li><li><a href="http://www.degraeve.com/color-palette/"> DeGraeve Color Palette</a>
		</li><li><a href="http://readwrite.com/2008/08/01/five_amazing_color_palette_generators#awesm=~oxu50yCQ8nkRZ9"> Five Amazing Color Palette Generators</a>
		</li></ul></p>
		
		<p>Or you can build your own palette:<br>
		<p><ul><li><a href="http://colorschemedesigner.com/">Color Scheme Designer</a>
		</li></ul></p>

		<h4>What is the Background Image?</h4>
		<p>The Background Image creates the background for the front page of your website. Select from one of the many options to find an image that fits your district, or you can upload an image to use. Make sure your background image is high resolution, but doesn't detract from pictures of you and your family. We recommend nature or street scenery.
		</p>

		<h3>Visual Editor - Images</h3>

		<h4>What should I use for the Campaign Logo?</h4>
		<p>The campaign logo is the graphic your campaign uses to brand the candidate and is therefore an important part of branding your website. Most campaigns will contract with a graphic artist to design the logo. They will often use a dark, solid background color, with white (or light) text for the logo. We also recommend you use a .gif or .png with a transparent background. For best results, use an image that is 480 pixels wide and not too tall. The logo image will be placed in the upper right hand corner of the homepage. Try out different sizes for your logo to find the one that fits best. If you do not specify a logo, that space will be auto-filled with your Campaign Name
		</p>
		
		<h4>What is the Splash Image?</h4>
		<p>The Splash Image is the picture at the center of the homepage. We recommend high quality, high resolution pictures of the candidate and their family, or an exciting shot of the candidate in action on the campaign trail. For best results, use a .jpg that is 800 pixels wide.
		</p>
		
		<h4>What is the Optional Caption for?</h4>
		<p>This is text that will appear over the Splash Image. If your campaign has a major theme or message, you may want to add it here. Don't use the Optional Caption if your Splash Image already has text in it. The caption will obscure the text, making it difficult to read.
		</p>
		
		<h3>Visual Editor - Content</h3>

		<h4>What is the Campaign Name?</h4>
		<p>The Campaign Name is the candidate's name and the office she is running for. The Campaign Name can be used as a placeholder for the logo if your campaign doesn't have one yet, and will also appear at the bottom of the website.
		</p>
		
		<h4>What is the Why I’m Running text?</h4>
		<p>This is your candidate's elevator pitch. This should follow the 27-9-3 rule:  27 words, 9 seconds, 3 points. For example, a 27-9-3 pitch from a school board candidate might read: "As a local pediatrician, I will work to fund nutrition programs in schools and keep our kids safe in the streets." This text appears on the website above the signup form.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How is the Candidate Biography used?</h4>
		<p>If you want to add a Candidate Biography, this will appear on its own page -- the About Page.
		</p>
		
		<h4>What is the Legal Disclaimer?</h4>
		<p>The Legal Disclaimer is the text required legally on most campaign materials. If your campaign is federal, the Legal Disclaimer will say, "Paid for by" then the official name of the campaign that was used when filing with the FEC. If your campaign is state or local, the Secretary of State or Board of Elections may have their own disclosure rules requiring similar text. Either way, you should check with a lawyer at the start of your campaign to make sure you understand the rules on this issue and many other legal issues.
		</p>
		
		<h3>Visual Editor - News</h3>

		<h4>How do I create a News page for the website?</h4>
		<p>Look for the News section of the sidebar and click Add a New Article. The News Page will be created for you.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I create a News Article?</p>
		<p>Same process as above. Look for the News section of the sidebar and click Add a New Article. A form to specify the details of your article will appear.
		</p>
		
		<h4>Do I need an author or publication date for my News Article?</h4>
		<p>None of the fields are required, but we recommend that you specify a title and a link to the article. Try to be consistent with the fields that you use.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I add multimedia to a News Article?</h4>
		<p>You can add video, audio, or images to your News Articles. The Visual Editor supports video files uploaded to YouTube, audio files uploaded to SoundCloud, or you can upload an image. In the News section of the sidebar you'll be able to select the type of media you want to link. For audio and video, you'll need to pull the ID off the respective URL.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I delete an article?</h4>
		<p>In the News section, there is a trash can icon under each article. Click the icon to delete the News Article. 
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do you remove the News link from the navigation bar?</h4>
		<p>If all news articles are deleted, the link to the News Page will automatically disappear.
		</p>

		<h3>Visual Editor - Issues</h3>
		
		<h4>How do I create an Issues Page for the website?</h4>
		<p>Look for the Issues section of the sidebar and click Add New Issue. The Issues Page will be created for you.
		</p>

		<h4>How to add a new issue?</h4>
		<p>Adding an issue is easy. Look for the Issues section of the sidebar and click Add New Issue. You will be prompted to add text about the candidate's position on the issue. Once you preview and save, the issue will appear on the Issues Page.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I delete an issue?</h4>
		<p>In the Issues section, there is a trash can icon under each issue. Click the icon to delete the issue. 
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do you remove the Issues link from the navigation bar?</h4>
		<p>If all issues are deleted, the link to the Issues Page will automatically disappear.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How can I change the order of the Issues on my Issues page? </h4>
		<p>Unfortunately you can't right now. We're working on it! Feel free to use the "help" button and let us know if this is important to you.
		</p>

		<h3>Visual Editor - Links</h3>
		<!-- <h3>Visual Editor - Online fundraising Links</h3> -->

		<h4>How do I collect online donations?</h4>
		<p>A strong base of small donors is a critical piece of a good finance plan. There are lots of options for payment processing. ActBlue is the recommended provider of donation pages. You can create pages for free, and ActBlue is constantly analyzing their page performance for the best possible conversion rates (the rate at which someone converts from a visitor to a donor after landing on one of their pages.) The Website Builder can integrate with any donation page you choose. Other popular tools to collect online donations include Salsa, NGP, Blue State Digital, and ActionKit. However, these are commercial products that cost money.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I put a donation button on my website?</h4>
		<p>To add the donate button, click the Links section of the sidebar. Under "Donate Page," copy and paste the URL of the contribution page that you created. In other words, copy and paste the URL that leads to your ActBlue page or other contribution page. We'll take care of the rest.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I change the text of my donate button?</h4>
		<p>If you would like to change the text of the button to something other than "Donate," specify in the field after the Donate Link.
		</p>
		
		<!-- <h3>Visual Editor - Traffic and Social Media</h3> -->
		
		<h4>How do I track my site’s statistics?</h4>
		<p>Knowing when you are getting traffic spikes to your website is an important part of running a data-driven campaign. You can easily (and for free!) sign up for a Google Analytics account at <a href="http://www.google.com/analytics/">www.google.com/analytics/</a>. Once you do, Google will generate a Google Analytics Key. Copy and paste that key into the Google Analytics field in the Links section. This will automatically add the code necessary to start collecting all your web stats.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I add a link to my Twitter account?</h4>
		<p>Add your Twitter Name in the Links section. The Twitter button will be created and added to the homepage for you.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I add a link to my Facebook account?</h4>
		<p>Add your Facebook Page in the Links section. The Facebook "Like" button will be created and added to the homepage for you.
		</p>
		
		<h4>Coming Soon: How do I get my Facebook AppID?</h4>
		
		<h3>Visual Editor - Contact Info</h3>

		<h4>How do I collect information about my supporters?</h4>
		<p>By default, the contact page includes a basic contact form that allows potential supporters, volunteers and members of the media to get in touch with the campaign. The more information you can add to the Contact Info section, the better.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I make sure the press can contact my campaign quickly?</h4>
		<p>You can make sure that the press has a direct line to your campaign by listing a Press Contact name and email address under the Contact Info section.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How can I make sure that supporters and volunteers can find me?</h4>
		<p>By adding a Street Address, the Contact Info page produces a Google Map. Visitors can use the Google Map to plan their visit to your office.
		</p>
		
		<h4>What is the Office Email?</h4>
		<p>The Office Email is an option for people who want to contact your campaign, but don't want to use the default contact form.</p>
	  	
	  	<!-- <h2 id="soci">Social Link Builder</h2>
	  	
	  	<h3>Coming Soon!</h3> -->
	  	
	  	<h2 id="winn">Win Number Calculator</h2>
	  	
	  	<h4>What is the Win Number Calculator?</h4>
		<p>The win number is the number of votes you need to win! In a data-driven campaign, it's important to know your win number and work towards it. You can use the Win Number Calculator to plug in a few key numbers about your district --like past turnout and registered voters -- and figure out your own. Knowing your win number early will save tons of time and resources down the road, and help you plan a smarter campaign.
		</p>
		
		<h4>What is Turnout History?</h4>
		<p>The Turnout History is the number of residents who voted in your district in past general elections.
		</p>
		
		<h4>What is a Turnout Rate?</h4>
		<p>The Turnout Rate is the percentage of voters who are registered to vote at the time of the election that turned out and voted in the past. 
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I determine my Turnout History?</h4>
		<p>The Turnout History is publicly available data that is tracked by your state Board of Elections or your Secretary of State. It is usually available online.
		</p>
		
		<h4>What if my district has not had 3 elections yet due to redistricting?</h4>
		<p>You have a couple of options:
		<ol><li>You could include a single year's data multiple times. 
		</li><li>If your district is similar enough to a previously existing district, you can use data from the old district.
		</li><li>You can break down the district by precinct, add up turnout for each precinct, and then divide by the number of residents who voted. This is a few hours' work, even if you're good with a spreadsheet. (If you are a candidate, ask a trusted volunteer to do this for you! You have enough to do.)
		</li></ol>
		</p>

		<h4>How do I determine the number of registered voters in my district?</h4>
		<p>The number of registered voters in your district is publicly available data tracked by your state Board of Elections or your Secretary of State. It is usually available online through the state Board of Elections, Secretary of State, or Government Accountability Board websites.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I use my Win Number?</h4>
		<p>Your Win Number is the number of votes you need for victory. It is the basis for a data-driven campaign, and allows you to calculate all your field goals such as IDs, door knocks, contacts made, and GOTV targeting. 
		</p>
		<p>The Win Number is also a great way to motivate you and your team. A candidate who needs 15,000 votes to win will run a different campaign from a candidate who needs 3,000 votes to win. If it's your plan to knock every door in the district, having a win number helps you remember just how many doors you have to go.
		</p>
	  	<!-- <h2 id="guid">Guides & Resources</h2>
	  	
	  	<h3>Coming Soon!</h3> -->
	  	
	  	<h2 id="call">Call Time Tracker</h2>
	  	
	  	<h3 id="log_data">Log Data</h3>
	  	<h4>What happens on the Log Data page?</h4>
		<p>This page is where you record the results of your call time each day.
		</p>

		<h4>How do I add new results?</h4>
		<p>Add your newest numbers in the "Add New Data" section at the top of the page. To save the data, click the button to the right. This is the data you will need to add:
		</p>
		<p><ul><li><b>Date:</b> The date that the calls were made.
		</li><li><b>Calls:</b> The number of phone numbers dialed.
		</li><li><b>Connects:</b> The number of calls where you reached the person you were trying to reach. Connect rates help you track whether you are calling at the right time of day and using good lists.
		</li><li><b>Collected via Phone:</b> The amount of money that you raised through your phone calls that was submitted that same day via an online fundraising page.
		</li><li><b>Hard Pledges:</b> The amount of money firmly committed during call time. Only use this field when your candidate asked for a specific amount of money, and the donor replied with a "yes." Soft pledges are currently not tracked in the Call Time Tracker.
		</li><li><b>Hours Completed:</b> The total number of hours spent calling that day.
		</li><li><b>Hours Scheduled:</b> The total number of hours the candidate was supposed to call that day. Tracking these hours will help make sure the candidate is treating call time as a priority.
		</li></ul></p>
		
		<h4>What if I already entered data for a day, but now I need to change it?</h4>
		<p>Scroll down the page to the Past Activity section. Find the row you need to edit by date. Click the Edit button at the end of the row. Scroll back up to the Add New Data section, where you will find the row has been autofilled with the data you are trying to edit. Make your changes and click to save. You can also select the day you want to edit straight from the Add New Data section. Either method will work.
		</p>
		
		<h4>What if I need to delete the data from a specific day?</h4>
		<p>Scroll down the page to the Past Activity section. Find the row you need to delete by date. Click the trash can icon to delete that day.
		</p>
		
		<h4>When I click edit, nothing seems to happen.  What’s going on?</h4>
		<p>You likely clicked edit on an empty row. Remember to make all changes and edits in the Add New Data section.
		</p>
		
		<h4>Help!  How can I export my data?</h4>
		<p>Don’t worry -- exporting your data is super simple.  Just highlight the rows you want in the Past Activity table, then copy and paste into a spreadsheet program of your choice.
		<p>
		
		<h3 id="manage_data">Manage Data</h3>
		<h4>What are goals?</h4>
		<p>Goals are the amount of pledges you aspire to collect during call time for this week, this quarter, or the duration of your campaign. Setting goals allows you to track your progress and improve your fundraising efforts over time.
		</p>
		
		<h4>What happened to my goal from this past week or this past quarter?</h4>
		<p>Weekly and quarterly goals are automatically cleared when a new week or quarter starts.
		</p>

		<h4>What is the “pledged this week” goal?</h4>
		<p>This is the total of "Collected Via Phone" and "Hard Pledges" you expect to collect during call time this week. A week runs from Monday through Sunday.
		</p>
		
		<h4>Why are my metrics zero?</h4>
		<p>If you have no data logged for the time period specified, your metrics will be zero.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I get my call time totals for a specific week, quarter, or year?</h4>
		<p>The Detailed Progress section of the Manage Data tab allows you to sort, group and total your Call Time data. You can specify grouping and totals. To group, select the number of days you wish to group by. For totals, select the period you would like the data totaled over.
		</p>
		
		<h4>Can I arrange my results by Calls, Connects, etc?</h4>
		<p>Yes! Just click on the column heading to rearrange.</p>

		<h3 id="send_reports">Send Reports</h3>
		<h4>How do I generate a report of my call time progress?</h4>
		<p>On the Send Report page, click the green "Generate Report" button. The report will appear in the box below, where you can edit and copy into an email.
		</p>
		
		<h4>What are the different Report Types?</h4>
		<p>You can select Daily, Weekly, or Quarterly Reports. You can use the Copy to Clipboard button to select and copy the report, and paste into a document or email of your choice.
		</p>
		
		<h4>How do I send my report?</h4>
		<p>After clicking the Generate Report button, your report will be displayed in the section below.  You can use the Copy To Clipboard button to select all and copy the report, then paste into a document or email of your choice.
		</p>
		
		<h2 id="soon">Coming Soon</h2>
		
		<h3>Social Link Builder</h3>
		
		<h3>Guides and Resources</h3>
		
	  </div>
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