Charities and small businesses might be interested to hear about the little-known (by us, anyway!) Google Moderator. This simple tool allows you to canvass your users on any issue: the Conservative Party, for example, are currently using it on their draft manifesto site, to gather a sense of which issues are of most concern to the British public (or, at least – to inject a slight note of cynicism – those who are comfortable with the online environment).

You, on the other hand, might find it useful for questions which, while they are not politically pressing, would give insight into your business. Would your customers rather you were open from 9-5 or 10-6? Do they prefer free shipping or totally transparent postal pricing? If you’re a charity, visitors could vote on their preferred priorities. It’s certainly worth a look, in any case.