Politicians have been listening to opinion polls for years.
Major corporations spend fortunes on market research to get consumers' opinions about new products.
Up until now, only people with lots of money and resources could learn what the public wants by gathering opinions. Small-business people who want to know if their customers would like a new service but don't have a large budget. Consumers who want the features of a product changed and need to know if anyone else feels the same way. Students who want to change a school policy and want to hear what other students have to say about it. Managers who want to know if a new internal policy is appropriate but don't have the time to meet with their Information Systems department.