Pollsters polled or do you mind if I ask you some questions too?

On Saturday I had a phone call from Newspoll conducting a survey on generational understanding of food safety and the awareness of Food Safety Week. This set me thinking – if they can ask me questions about habits, I should be able to ask them. So I resolved to do a short survey of my own with the next caller.
Within an hour, I had had two calls from different charities that I support, with the latest of the offers for their Christmas fundraising. Now I’ve never actually won anything from these but maybe this time I could get a little something back.
Enter the “I’ve just thought up these few questions” public library use survey. Neither sophisticated nor with a cleverly disguised purpose and with no thought to how the results could be analysed, I launched into a list of 5 questions. And I got answers with extra comments and even enthusiasm.
Am I on to something? What if we all did something similar? It would be a completely random and unsolicited survey – might go viral!
Tested it again tonight. This time the phone call was to tell me that I’d been selected from respondents to a phone survey (that I only vaguely remembered) and had won a prize. After listening to the benefits of the product I had won, politely refusing it in favour of another more deserving soul, I requested permission to ask my questions. Bingo – another short chat about public libraries.

Now I’m getting a bit more excited which could be a dangerous sign. So I’ve “extensively beta tested” the questions – they need some tweaking. Not sure how we go from here but I invite you to participate.

Year of Reading 2012

Not sure how this will look!! The countdown begins.

Happy birth anniversary Banjo

Dusty notes that apparently when referring to long deceased authors, (and probably anyone else)  it is preferred to refer to a "birth anniversary" rather than birthday with an overloading of candles.
If you don't know which Banjo, check out http://www.wordsoutwest.com.au/ for a celebratory contest.