The Trial and Death of Slobodan Milosevic

The former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic went on trial on February 12, 2002 before the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia(ICTY) in The Hague, Netherlands.

Milosevic was charged with 66 counts of war crimes during the 1991-99 Balkan wars, including genocide (in Bosnia) and crimes against humanity, in three indictments covering Kosovo, Bosnia, and Croatia.

The trial was expected to take two years. After four years and with fifty days of hearing scheduled Slobodan Milosevic was found dead in his cell.

Did he die of natural causes as the tribunals appointed medical team stated, was he murdered as some of his supports are claiming or did he deliberately take his own life?

Can there ever be any real justice when trials last so long?

Participate in this weeks free survey Trial and death of Slobodan Milosevic

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

No matter what we say, and how many different ways we find to say it, many people just do not believe how quick and easy it really is to create surveys using Survey Galaxy until they have seen it with their own eyes.

We would like you to be able to say 'Wow, it really is that easy' so we have created a Quick Start video that we hope will encourage you to join the thousands of others that have already discovered Survey Galaxy.


We have also created the Tutorial Video Centre that contains a number of step by step training videos covering many of Survey Galaxy's advanced features.

The videos may not have been nominated for any Oscars this year but we nevertheless hope that you will enjoy them.

Is Handwriting A Lost Art?

Is handwriting a lost art, and does it matter if it is?

With so many people using the Internet and learning to type, (at least well enough to get by); has email become the most common form of written communication, leaving the handwritten letter to the past?

Handwriting experts would claim to be able to tell a lot from studying someones handwriting, maybe a new bread of expert will emerge that can tell someones personality from their emails?

If you had to write a personal letter to a close friend or relative would you type it or write it?


Participate in this weeks free survey Is Handwriting A Lost Art?

Intelligent Design or Evolution?

The theory of intelligent design holds that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause rather than an undirected process such as natural selection.

Intelligent Design is thus a scientific disagreement with the core claim of evolutionary theory that the apparent design of living systems is an illusion.

Although given a new name the theory is centuries old and in an attempt to explain the premise in layman terms the English theologian William Paley put forward a famous watchmaker analogy:-

If we find a pocket watch in a field, we immediately infer that it was produced not by natural processes acting blindly but by a designing human intellect. Likewise, the natural world contains abundant evidence of a supernatural creator.

This argument found favour until Darwin's publication of the Origin of Species in 1859 where Darwin argued that evolution by natural selection better explained life's complexity and diversity.

Darwins theory of evolution gradually overtook the Intelligent Design theory and for many years became the accepted thought and the one that was taught in science.

Fast forward almost 150 years and the debate is back out of the box. In the US supporters of Intelligent Design are not only arguing that it should be recognised but that it should also be taught in science.

Do you think that Darwin's theory of evolution explains everything, can Intelligent Design be a valid alternative, and is there room in science for two such opposing theories?


Participate in this weeks free survey Intelligent Design or Evolution?

Making changes to published surveys

We recommend that before publication surveys are thoroughly tested using the Preview option.

It is sometimes useful to provide colleagues with the survey's Preview URL to allow them to also test the survey.

The Preview will allow the main part of the survey to be reviewed, i.e. this will allow you to check for spelling and typing errors, check that questions are not ambiguous and that the most appropriate answer formats have been used. (The most common mistakes are using single radio instead of multiple check boxes and vice versa).

The branching logic or mandatory field status of a survey cannot be tested until the survey is published, but these are both survey characteristics that can be changed while a survey is live.

When publishing a survey we would also recommend that an extra few days are added to the publication period as if changes are necessary this is often more cost effective than extending the publication period.

It is highly recommended that a survey is tested again once published. Providing there are twenty or less responses the test data can be purged using the Purge facility before live data is recorded.

If a published survey needs to be changed you can make some changes that do not affect the data structure as often as you like while the survey remains published; these are limited to the survey's characteristics such as style, branching logic and mandatory status.

To make changes to the characteristics simple use the Compose option and then choose the Compose Characteristics option.

Survey Galaxy also provides a 3 day grace period where changes that could affect the data structure can be made to published surveys without charge, although 1 day of publication is deducted for each re-publication.

To make changes that could affect the data structure use the Compose/Revise option.

When a published survey is changed via Compose/Revised the survey will not be available to respondents until the survey is re-published. To ensure integrity a new data-set will be created to ensure that there is no data miss-match. All previous data-sets will be saved and will remain accessible online.

If email invitations have been sent out containing a URL to the survey and the published survey is later composed/revised and republished the URL will always point to the latest publication of the survey.

David Irving - Holocaust Denial

In the two 1989 speeches made in Austria the British author David Irving termed the Auschwitz gas chambers a "fairytale" and insisted Adolf Hitler had protected the Jews of Europe. He referred to surviving death camp witnesses as "psychiatric cases", and asserted that there were no extermination camps in the Third Reich.

He was arrested in November 2005 after returning to Austria to deliver more speeches despite an arrest warrant against him and being barred from the country.

The 67 Irving was brought to a Vienna court room in February 2006 where despite him pleading guilty the trial went ahead as is Austrian law.

Branded "a racist, an anti-Semite, and a liar" by the judge Irving was sentenced to 3 years jail.

Is this another example of free speech being a myth and should the Holocaust hold special privilege over other historical attrocities?


Participate in this weeks free survey David Irving - Holocaust Denial

Google and China, saint or sinner?

The Google boys are taking plenty of heat for their deal with the Chinese government to offer a censored version of the search engine in China.

Has the critiscm they have faced been justified or are they right to work within local frameworks?

Is Google Inc still playing the dashing adventure hero Luke Skywalker or have they now drifted to the dark side and become Darth Vader?


Participate in this weeks free survey Google and China, saint or sinner?

Can Islam and Freedom of Expression exist together?

With embassies being burnt, riots and demonstrations across the globe, death threats made and politicians of all persuasion locked in debate who would have though that the publication of some cartoons, by a small Danish newspaper could cause such a furore?

Are the countries that practise free speech right to make a point, and how far should those that have been offended be allowed to protest?


Participate in this weeks free survey Can Islam and Freedom of Expression exist together?

Hamas, Back To Square One Or A New Start?

Hamas has been branded a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US and the EU, but it is seen by its supporters as a legitimate fighting force defending Palestinians from a brutal military occupation.

Hamas was formed in 1987 at the beginning of the Palestinian uprising against Israel's occupation in the West Bank and Gaza.

Since the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, it has taken part in local elections that have culminated in them winning the parliamentary elections with enough seats to form a Palestinian government.

The UN, US, EU and Russia have said that the future aid to the Palestinian Authority will hinge on the Hamas government's commitment to peace and recognising Israel.

How should the world deal with Hamas? Should the Israelis and the wider international community try and negotiate with them?


Participate in this weeks free survey Hamas, Back To Square One Or A New Start?

Bolivia's New Beginning

Bolivia have voted in Evo Morales as their president, the first of Bolivia's president to be of indigenous Indian heritage.

With a pro-coca leaf-farming policy, plans to nationalise the Bolivia's natural resources and in support of the anti-Washington coalition based around Cuba's Castro and Venezuela's Chavez he is adding to Washington's concerns for the whole region.

Evo Morales was voted into power, with a clear absolute majority, do you think he will have what it takes to improve the economy of one of the region's poorest countries and what do you think US policy towards Bolivia will be?

Participate in this weeks free survey Bolivia's New Beginning?

The Advantages, Considerations and Risks of Employee Satisfaction Surveys

There are a number of distinct advantages to conducting regular employee satisfaction online surveys but there can also be risks.

Here are listed some of the main advantages, considerations and the possible risks to conducting online employee satisfaction surveys.

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Advantages

Mood and Moral

Provides a simple but effective method to measure and monitor the mood and moral of an organisation.

Identify Problems

Surveys are can be very effective in identify problems areas before they become serious, especially those that are hidden from senior management.

Training

Lack of proper training is a common cause of dissatisfaction among employees and can lead to more serious problems such as stress.

Processes & Procedures

As businesses evolve some of the traditional processes and procedures can become antiquated, personnel are often the first to know and the last to be asked. Businesses evolve and the business processes need to be regularly re-aligned

Communication

For an organisation to run efficiently good internal and external communications are essential, surveys can provide a method to help organisations to monitor and measure how well an organisation communicates.

Working Environment

From something small like a broken chair to the more serious problem of sick building syndrome that can result in personnel experiencing headaches; eye, nose, and throat irritation; a dry cough; dry or itchy skin; dizziness and nausea; and difficulty in concentrating. Surveys allow environmental problems to be identified in a measured and controlled manner.

Goals and Objectives

Surveys can measure and monitor the extent that the personnel are aligned with the senior management's business goals and objectives.

Remuneration & Benefits

Measure and monitor how satisfied personnel are with their remuneration and benefits.

Compliance

To properly comply with an ever increasing array of regulations the modern organisation needs to be able to disseminate information throughout the organisation and ensure, through records, that the information has been received, and importantly, understood. Online surveys provide organisation with a cost effective method to meet many of their obligations.

Benchmark

In the same way that an organisation will consider their financial position by comparison with previous years, so the regular use of online surveys will allow an organisation to monitor and measure their progress and development in non-financial terms.

Keeping the Initiative

It is always better for management to ask than be told. By conducting regular employee surveys management are able to keep the initiative in trying to identify problems that may otherwise manifest into demands.

Cost Effective

Using an online survey service such as www.surveygalaxy.com survey are quick and easy to create, simple to deploy and will provide real-time results.

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Considerations

Anonymous

The decision to allow respondents to remain anonymous or not needs careful consideration. A survey that is conducted anonymously may allow employees to be more candid, however, anonymity may encourage some individuals to make wild accusations that can not be substantiated and cause considerable concern. When in doubt it is often better to keep everything 'on the record' rather than 'off'.

Where survey respondents are known there is the opportunity to chase for surveys that have not been completed and also to follow up on some issues directly with those employees who have raised them as problems.

Management Backing

A survey that is both sanctioned and has the support of senior management will go some way in ensuring that any action required, based on the survey findings, will be implemented.


Incentive

Most employees will feel that by being able to give their opinions that they are already stakeholders in the exercise and will be happy to participate in the survey as they will expect to benefit from the process.

However, some incentive may help improve the overall response rate or could be used to encourage early participation.

Smaller incentives could be handed out to all employees or all participating employees could be entered into a lottery to receive a more substantial prize.


Ask the right questions
Consider careful the questions being asked. If employees feel that the survey is just trying to tick the right boxes the survey could backfire.

A survey that is to be conducted annually should try and ask questions that will provide senior management with an overall health check of the organisation.

Avoid questions that will only apply to specific departments or personnel. If some areas of the organisation require detailed investigation consider running separate one-off surveys that can be targeted at specific personnel.

Comments

Keep free text comments to a minimum because they are difficult and time consuming to measure and analyse.

Consider limiting free text comments to one at the end of the survey or, in the case of surveys that are not being conducted anonymously, allow for a post-survey follow-up to obtain more information where additional and more specific detail is required.

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Risks

Non-Action

Many employees will invest time and effort in participating in a survey and their hopes and expectations will be raised. Any post-survey non-action is likely to promote cynicism and jeopardise any future initiatives to obtain employee feedback.

Management should formally respond to the issues raised in surveys even if the demands of employees are not to be met. If senior management agree to address and resolve some issues then action needs to have started before any further survey is scheduled.

Management

Some managers can regard any form of employee consultation as a sign of weakness and may have a tendency to dismiss out of hand any negative comment.

Warts and All

A survey is likely to reveal warts and all. Senior management should be prepared for discovering that the top down view can differ from the bottom up view and that ignorance, of any identified problems, can no longer be used as an excuse.

Can Cause Problems

Where surveys reveal, or bring problems, to the surface there could be a tendency for senior management to blame the messenger.

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Summary

The potential benefits of conducting regular online employee surveys are considerable, but for surveys to be effective important upfront considerations need to be made. Although the process of conducting a survey can be therapeutic in itself it is the post-survey analysis, response and action that will ultimately determine how useful and effective the process has been.

Bizarre or Exotic Children Names?

Although the majority of US and British parents still prefer traditional names for their offspring, more and more parents are now choosing to give their newborn unique and unusual names.

For obvious reasons celebrity parents who give their children unusual names are in the spotlight but will they start a trend or just be viewed as bizarre?

We have made a short list of some celebrities who have given unusual names to their children and we ask you to say that having such names their children should grown up feeling that they are blessed, or cursed?

Participate in this weeks free survey Bizarre or Exotic Children Names?

What are your predictions for 2006?

Looking ahead to what 2006 might bring.


Yes it's time to predict what 2006 will bring, peace in the Middle East would be nice but do we really think that is possible in twelve years let alone twelve months?

From a short list of events we ask you to pick those events that you would most like to happen and also ask you to rate the chances of some predictions we have thought up coming true.

Participate in this weeks free survey 2006 Predictions

Customized Style

Want to know how easy it is to customize the style of your survey so that it compliments your corporate style, or just stands out from the crowd.

We have just released a short tutorial that demonstrates how easy it is to change display attributes such as the background colour and the default font.

Because we break the survey down into groups of common elements you can change the style of your survey quickly, for example changing the style of one question will automatically change the style for all the questions, and new items added will automatically adopt the new style.

The customized styles are all stored in your personal library so they can be applied to other surveys making the whole process quick, easy and efficient.

For more details please see Customize the Style of your Survey

Happy New Year

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and all the very best in 2006.

Merry Christmas to all

I would just like to take the opportunity to wish all who celebrate Christmas - the Survey Galaxy subscribers, regular visitors or anyone who just happens to be passing by - a very happy Christmas.

We hope you all have a good time and all your Xmas wishes come true.

Blogs

Well if your reading this the chances are that you know what a blog is.

Although blogs have been around in some form on the Internet since 1993 it wasn't until the blog explosion of 2004 that the world went blogging mad and now blogs, blogging and bloggers are everywhere.

However, although more and more people blog there are many others who have no interest or have still yet to discover blogging.

Are you a blogger that has your own blog? Do you blog for business or pleasure? Has a blog ever affected your relationship with someone in a good or bad way?

This weeks survey is Blogs - he's got one, she's got one, have you got one?

Torture by Proxy?

There is now strong evidence that hundreds of CIA flights have landed at European airports with the suggestion that terrorist suspects have been on board on the way to secret interrogation camps in eastern Europe, Egypt, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, and the British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw have both issued carefully worded statement that still leaves wide open the question that the US are complicit, along with their allies, in torturing detainees by proxy.

Have both the US and British governments now become the very people that they have in the past so publicly denounced? Is there any justification for torturing suspects? If there is sufficient evidence to suggest that either government were complicit in torturing detainees should they be tried as criminals? Extraordinary rendition - where do you stand?

Participate in this weeks free survey Torture by Proxy

Branching Comes to Town

As it is the season of goodwill we are pleased to offer all our members a new branching facility.

Branching is the term used that can ask a participant a number of follow-up questions, or conversely skip over a number of questions, depending on their response.

For example, for those respondents that answer 'Yes' to the question "Do you drive?" a number of follow-up questions could be asked about their driving habits, while for those that answer 'No' they can be taken automatically to the next section.

In many cases the need for branching can be eliminated and at the same time the survey streamlined and made more user friendly. However, in some cases it is desirable and necessary and so we are happy to provide it as a feature.

Branching is only applicable for single radio responses, but all types of questions can utilize the 'Jump To' facility that is included with Branching to allow blocks of questions to be established.

To use branching create and design your survey in the usual way. From the Composer screen set the Preview Mode (found at the top of the right-hand side of the dynamic survey display) to Branches.

A list of valid branches will appear next to each single radio response and a 'Jump to' section under each question.

If you use the branching facility please thoroughly test your survey before inviting people to complete the survey and ensure all branching works as you intend it to as branching logic will add a level of complication to a survey.


Should you need any assistance in using branching please do not hesitate to contact us using the Help Request found on the Information Page.

The Christmas Survey 2005

Well we are well into December now so it is perfectly acceptable that this weeks public survey is to do with Christmas.

With the lights going up, cards being sent and your bank balance being drained ... this week we ask you if you think it is all worth it?

Take part in The Christmas Survey