For a couple of years now, we've been posting an survey question at our Web site, auburnpub.com, that typically asks readers their opinion about an issue in the news. It's a popular feature that typically generates hundreds of responses of votes.

Based on a few phone calls and e-mails we received, the question we posted from late Thursday through Monday nights generated a few first-time voters. The online poll had asked people their opinion, for or against, concerning the possible privatization of the Cayuga County home health care service. (For the record, 68 percent of respondents were against privatizing as of 5 p.m. Monday - check page A2 for the final results.)

One caller was concerned that the poll was some sort of official survey, presumably from the county. She was worried that people without computers, which included herself, wouldn't have any input.

We assured the caller that the question was merely an informal question that we posted, just as all the questions are. They are not scientific by any means, but they do show an interesting snapshot of opinion. I can't say for sure whether decision-makers pay much attention to them, but my guess is that at least glance at the results of questions related to decisions they must make.

I got another e-mail from a reader who doesn't visit the Web site too often. This person was frustrated because the poll question appeared to be missing. My guess is this reader probably just needed to scroll down to the bottom of the home page because that's where the poll question is located, under the heading “The Citizen Voting Booth.” Hopefully she received my response and was able to cast her vote.

The poll question is just one of several ways we encourage readers to interact with and even add content to the news products we provide. In print, there are letters to the editor and community-submitted photos, along with birth, wedding, engagement and anniversary announcements. Online, there are story comments, the Your Photos gallery and the Two Cents forum.

The poll question is changed late Monday night and late Thursday, and we publish the results from the previous poll in the print edition on page A2, at the bottom of the box that features the current question. If you want to see the real-time survey results, just click on the “View Results” link right next to the voting tab on the Web site.

We offer questions touching mostly on local and state topics, but occasionally a national issue might appear. If you have any to suggest, feel free to send them my way.

Executive editor Jeremy Boyer's columns appear Tuesdays in The Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net