A word about our online poll …

Frontiersman editorial board

During the past week, we received numerous calls and letters from people curious about our online poll -- most wondering when it is updated and what the information is generally used for. Some were concerned the process was unfair, some were skeptical and believed Frontiersman staff members were able to tamper with the data, but most simply wanted to know how to go about finding the results of the poll.

This online poll is a service offered by the company that contracts with Wick Communications, our parent company. The poll is offered for entertainment purposes and we have not in the past, nor do we plan in the future, to use the poll results as any sort of reliable indicator of our readers' sentiments.

Frontiersman staff typically has few duties in relation to the poll -- unless the telephones are clogged with concerned readers, as they were last week. Generally, staff simply comes up with a question, types it into the pre-established format and sends it to the Web server, then checks on the numbers when each new edition of the Frontiersman is placed on the Web.

We view the poll as a fun addition to our online newspaper -- something we aren't able to do in the newspaper itself. It's a way for readers to interact with our paper or the issues presented therein without writing a letter to the editor.

The results should be taken with a grain -- or canister -- of salt, as it is possible for voters to make their opinions known several times during the week or more during which the particular question is posted. Additionally, poll-takers are not necessarily readers, and may or may not have any actual knowledge of the issue they are responding to when casting their votes.

That's why we have not used the numbers in the past and don't plan to use them in the future as any sort of reliable scientific information. And if you see other companies or groups using the online polls as an indicator of anything more than the fact that people are visiting our Web site, you may want to pull out your saltshaker.

Incidentally, Friday morning at the time the poll question was changed, 762 "yes" votes and 732 "no" votes were logged in response to the question, "Do you think the core area needs some type of borough-implemented zoning?"