Ask500 beta

Thanks to the great team at MakeUseOf for featuring Ask500People in “Two Sites to Poll to Your Heart’s Desire.” The daily blog, launched in July 2006, features cool websites, computer tips, and downloads that make you more productive. Author Simon Slangen writes:

Ask500People is a different concept from most poll services. Sure, you can show the link to your address book, or even embed a widget on your site, but in the first place, Ask500People is meant to poll the world… Even if you don’t feel like asking a question, it’s well worth to browse the sites and – even if you don’t feel inclined to vote – take a look at the answers. With tens of thousands of questions asked, there’s bound to be a couple of interesting ones.

Ask500People recently unveiled its “Business” service,  which supercharges paid polls with rapid responses, richer demographics, and private results. And you’ve always been able to test drive a business poll for free. But many of you have asked to see more votes included in our free trial.  We’re happy to oblige.

We’ve now tripled the number of votes in the free business poll test drive to fifteen. Now you’ll be able to see an even richer picture of what you get with a paid poll on Ask500People!

We’ve also broadened our business poll options to offer as few as 50 votes or as many as 1,000 votes, with prices beginning as low as $9.

Check out Ask500People for Business today. After your free taste, we think you’ll see the value of our rapid polling service!

Users of Apple’s iPhone in Japan — or resourceful users elsewhere — have access to “Emoji,” a specific set of emoticons or symbols to add some extra color and personality to their messages.

One page of icons features several forms of transportation. And the rocket symbol in the set looks eerily familiar!

Thanks to Joe Philipson for noticing the strong resemblance. Personally, I still like the plush treatment best!

One of the new features we’re proud to unveil is tagging. While you’ve always been able to search Ask500People.com (courtesy Google), tags offer a more elegant way to navigate through polls and discussions by topic.

When crafting a poll, you can tag them with keywords to help categorize it. Then, when visitors click a tag, they can see a list of all questions related to that topic. For example, you can find polls that are tagged “health,” “politics,” or “religion.”

If you’re in the mood to browse around, hit the new Ask500People tag cloud. It lists dozens of the tags used on the site. The more popular the tag, the larger it appears in the cloud. Perhaps not surprisingly, “economy” is well represented.

Want to know more about tags as a concept? Wikipedia to the rescue!

We know how addictive Ask500People can be, or how irresistible polls about personal preferences and pet peeves can be.  But the business applications for rapid, real-time polling have been obvious from the start.

Recently, Ask500People quietly added a “Business” tab to its interface, to allow companies to tap the power of crowdsourcing to get feedback within minutes, not days. Businesses can now get instant feedback on logo designs, weight interest in competing features, or test price points, and adapt their plans on the fly.

Business polls run immediately, and get VIP access to the Ask500People polling network, which includes dozens of partner sites. Results include demographics like age, gender, education, location and income, and graphs show demographic voting trends.

Want to see how Ask500People can help your company?  Test drive our new business polling feature for free.

There’s a reason we’ve seen an explosion of activity from the Kingdom of Belgium: Ask500People has been incorporated into a nationwide school project to explore and use internet tools.

Hundreds of teachers and over 7,000 teens are participating in 270 teams in the Digital Masters competition, which is sponsored by Agoria ICT, Belgium’s largest employers’ organisation and trade association.

In fact, the very first task was to poll the world on Ask500People, focusing on problems and solutions related to one’s ecological footprint. So if you’ve noticed a surge in questions related to the environment (mixed in among all the political polls!), this is why! And organizers were able to tap into our API to keep track of each team’s questions and votes.

“The objective here is to get the schools to use great platforms as Ask500People — I love the fact that they can actually see and read reactions from all over the world,” wrote Steven Pauwels, the architect of the project. He added that Ask500People was the first site he suggested.

The polls were just the beginning, however, and the contest continues for six weeks with two more challenges, taking advantage of other services and platforms. (The first activation? “How nerdy are you?“) Ultimately, the hope is that students become more aware of the tools available to them on the web, and the value of information technology.

“We encourage the teams to use the vast possibilities of the internet, and so far, we have banners around the internet, websites, movies, songs, flyers, leaflets, fanclubs, forums and much much more, all created by these teenagers,” he said. “It is a great thing to see that school principles and teachers are very eager to participate and help out with a sequel!”

Welcome to the sixth issue of Ask500People Weekly, a digest of Ask500People news, featured questions, and cool comments. Here’s what’s up this week!

Notable Polls

Joy Ike asked: “I’m trying to make it as a musician. Do you think this music has real potential? Seriously asking.” And she posted a link to her MySpace Music page. Fifteen people voted:

• Very Likely: 67%
• Likely: 20%
• Not sure: 7%
• Unlikely: 7%
• Very Unlikely: 0%

Waugs (Canada) commented: “Your voice reminds me a bit of Des’ree but the style is different. I like your piano style, moving clusters around, I do that also. Excellent performances all around. That sounds like a real drummer, a very tasty player. Thanks for sharing this!”

SpangeNW (United Kingdom) replied: “What waugs said. Really enjoyed listening, great voice. I have it playing now. Hope you make it!”

GenaK asked: “Difference between Kosovo and South Ossetia. Should they be independent?” Over 180 people voted:

• Only Kosovo should be independent: 9%
• Only South Ossetia should be independent: 4%
• Both of them should be independent: 66%
• None of them should be independent: 20%

SpangeNW (United Kingdom) commented: “Both of them should. I wonder why the world was willing to back up Kosovo against Serbia but sees Russia’s actions as unacceptable. South Ossetians deserve the same support as the Kosovans, as should any region that feels it is oppressed by it’s central government or not represented properly by it.”

Tim100 (Slovakia) commented: “None of them. It’s very simple: the nation should have only one state. Example 1: Kosovo. Albanians have two independent states, they both are neighbour states (Kosovo, Albania). Example 2: S.Ossetia. Why should Russians from this area have their own new state. Only few miles to the north they have a Russian state – the Russian Federation. I think it was a bad idea to agree with Kosovian independence, because with this step should agree Serbia. Example 3: I come from Slovakia, but there are many minorities in my country. Do you think it would be ok if Hungarians, who have their own state (Hungary), would establish a new Hungarian state in the territory of the Slovak republic?”

iamafractal asked: “I like this taste the most…” Over 300 people voted:

• Sweet: 60%
• Salty: 26%
• Sour: 11%
• Bitter: 10%

Wingnutt (Germany) commented: “I like hot stuff. I have been eating so many habanero peppers over the last 15 years or so that Tabasco doesn’t even tingle anymore.”

davisfreeberg asked: “Are you addicted to coffee?” Over 330 people voted:

• Yes: 30%
• No: 70%

Eirrac (Canada) commented: “I’m a tea drinker. All sorts. I’m not a fan of coffee at all. I’ve tried it many times, but I could never understand what the fuss is all about.”

Peterf (Norway) commented: “I’m certainly not addicted to standard American coffee. The worst — that is weakest — I have ever drunk.”

Wingnutt asked: “Do you think that lowering the drinking age on college and university campuses is wrong?” Over 330 people voted:

• Yes: 53%
• No: 47%

Dauguy (United States) commented: “The U.S. has the highest drinking age in the world. The range is from 0 to 21. Looking at the places with no limit, I would have to say that it is not an age thing, but a cultural one. Thailand isn’t renowned for its alcoholism rate, but Soviet Georgia was.”

Chipmonk (United States) replied: “Well if there are places with no age limit and the people there can drink responsibly, maybe we need to examine what they are doing that makes them so successful. Maybe we can instill the same values in young people and get the same results.”

Coming Soon

We’ve got some exciting things in the works, including even more fascinating demographics for polls and a better way to keep track of your favorite questions and conversations. Stay tuned!

Happy Asking!

Have something you’d like to Ask 500 People? It’s as simple as clicking here. Find a question that made you go hmm? Read a comment that made you LOL? Let us know and we could feature it in the next Ask500People Weekly! And if you’re not signed up to receive the Ask500People Weekly email newsletter, it’s not too late. Just check the box for “”Best of Ask500″ in your profile.

Welcome to the fourth issue of Ask500People Weekly, a digest of Ask500People news, featured questions, and cool comments. Here’s what’s up this week!

Stumbling Towards Geekery

One of the many fun ways that people discover Ask500People is through the StumbleUpon social bookmarking service. StumbleUpon also taps the “wisdom of crowds” to find interesting destinations on the web. Click “Stumble!” and, while you never know where you’ll end up, you’ll almost always find something great.

Check out our StumbleUpon page, and if you’re a StumbleUpon user, share your thoughts on our site and help others stumble across it, too!

Notable Polls

waugs asked: “In your life, which do you regret more?” Over 700 people voted:

• Something you did: 37%
• Something you did not do: 63%

PhxMike (in the United States) commented: “Absolutely the things I did not do. Even the things I thought
I regretted at the time, long term, ended up to be good.”

LaRousse5 asked: “When was the last time you spoke to your mother?” Over 730 people voted:

• Today or yesterday: 58%
• Within the past week: 17%
• Within the past two months: 10%
• Longer than two months ago: 15%

Vieffan (in the Netherlands) commented: “Within the past two months. But that’s just because she is on
vacation. usually I speak to her every day.”

sarah_may asked: “Have you ever been on TV?“Over 720 people voted:

• Yes: 44%
• No: 56%

Hauli (in Canada) commented: “I was the anchor and an interviewer of a weekly news magazine show. It was primarily a current affairs and general interest show. I did this at the same time as hosting the afternoon show at a radio station.”

laika1651 asked: “Where do you obtain your music?” Over 480 people voted:

• High Street Retail: 23%
• Online Physical Purchase: 26%
• Online MP3 Shop: 32%
• Illegally: 19%

Ask001 commented: “In Canada, downloading for personal use is (still) legal. For that privilege we pay a tax on recording media. On a side note, even though I can download a full CD in less time than it takes me to buy one, I still buy more than I download.”

WishingForSun asked: “Do you have health coverage?” Over 540 people voted:

• Yes: 68%
• No: 32%

annecm (in New Zealand) commented: “Nope. Don’t need it here.”

suzannabanana1 asked: “How many years of education do you have?” Over 400 people voted:

• I have a high school diploma: 72%
• I have some college: 34%
• I have a BA, BS, MA or PhD: 42%
• I didn’t graduate from high school: 6%

Chipmonk (in the United States) commented: “Every year I’m alive is another year of education.”

Happy Asking!

Have something you’d like to Ask 500 People? It’s as simple as clicking here. Find a question that made you go hmm? Read a comment that made you LOL? Let us know and we could feature it in the next Ask500People Weekly!  And if you’re not signed up to receive the Ask500People Weekly email newsletter, it’s not too late. Just check the box for “”Best of Ask500″ in your profile.

On the PBS series scienceNOW (out of WGBH in Boston), a recent episode featured a segment on “Wisdom of the Crowds.” As you might guess, it’s a topic near and dear to our hearts. So we were especially tickled to find Ask500People linked as a resource on the scienceNOW website… sandwiched between the James Surowiecki book that inspired us and the Center for Collective Intelligence at MIT.

Curious about what scienceNOW had to say about “Wisdom of the Crowds”? You can watch the segment online.

Welcome to the second issue of Ask500People Weekly, a digest of Ask500People news, featured questions, and cool comments. Here’s what’s up this week!

Better Blog Embeds

We recently announced a new-and-improved embeddable poll, allowing you to post and share polls on your blogs and websites. Well, we’ve improved them even further, making them more compatible with people using WordPress for their blogs. If you haven’t yet tried it, you should! It’s a great way to add interactivity and activity to your site.

Notable Polls

source asked: “Is there such a thing as a soul mate? Does everyone have just one true love?” Over 300 people voted:

• A. Yes: 55%
• B. No: 45%

yolda commented: “This are two questions, which I would answer one with yes one with no, for example. I believe in soul mates, which can be more than one, and I believe that one can have more than just one true love.”

ChipMonk asks: “Do you have a valid library card? If so, do you use it at least once a year?” Nearly 500 people voted:

• A. Yes (I have a valid library card): 22%
• B. Yes (and I use it at least once a year): 37%
• C. No (I do not have a valid library card): 41%

Hauli commented: “I use the library all the time. For new releases or any book that isn’t on the shelf, I can order online and they email me when the book is in for pick up.”

Vieffan asked: “Do you consider yourself old?” Over 400 people voted:

• A. Yes: 23%
• B. No: 77%

Ross commented: “I’m a hell of a lot closer to seventy than sixty five and whilst I like to think I’m not old, just oldish, I have to admit there are a lot of things I can’t do as well as I once could. But old? No. Not yet.”

Maeycken asked: “Do you know your neighbours?” Nearly 500 people voted:

• A. Yes: 67%
• B. No: 33%

PhxMike commented: “I live in a historic neighborhood, with a great deal of cultural diversity. Always fascinating, and everyone watches out for one another. We have several Sikh families, Hispanic families, gay & lesbian couples, a French couple next door, several elderly couples, and a pot smoker across the street.”

Happy Asking!

Have something you’d like to Ask 500 People? It’s as simple as clicking here. Find a question that made you go hmm? Read a comment that made you LOL? Let us know and we could feature it in the next Ask500People Weekly! And if you’re not signed up to receive the Ask500People Weekly email newsletter, it’s not too late. Just check the box for “”Best of Ask500″ in your profile.