For those of you who like making your voices heard, this is a perfect platform. Whether you want a say on the US Presidency, or think it is right to have children out of wedlock, Planet Project is your place to speak out.

It's an initiative of 3Com, that came up with the idea of using technology to serve as a digital mirror, enabling millions of people all over the world to see and then instantly compare themselves with one another in real time.

The project happened with the help of several technology partners, including Harris Interactive, Sun Microsystems, Akamai Technologies, Oracle Corporation, BEA Systems Inc, Mercury Interactive, Macromedia, Eucid Inc., AT&T , Euphorionand LightPoint.

Thanks to them all 3Com was, for the first time, able to assemble the technologies needed to facilitate the world's largest Internet-based poll, which it called Planet Project.

Beginning November 18, millions of people from all corners of the globe could visit the Planet Project Web site to share and instantly compare their opinions on topics ranging from the thought-provoking to merely entertaining. For a complete visual tour on how this whole poll is collaborated and coordinated, try the site's How it Works section .

So what are the kind of questions you can expect at the site? Explains Gordon Black, Chairman and CEO, Harris Interactive: "We wanted questions that were original enough for this unprecedented undertaking, but also questions that made sense and were relevant in different countries, languages and cultures."

Harris Interactive is responsible for related polling technologies, including systems integration, and development of applications and the database. A team of the company's programmers spent over 20,000 hours over several months to create the technology necessary to run the poll in eight languages. The result comprises eight topical modules: Religion; Beliefs and Fears; Health and Well-Being; Sleep and Dreams; Self Image; Marriage; Dating and Sex; Parenting and Education; Law and Order. There are 20 questions per poll topic.

Making this incredible effort a reality involved several companies working together on a global basis. From scratch to finish, the concept, ideas and work that went into it all can be read about at this Fact Sheet .

Getting down to how the poll actually works, it's simple, really. As soon as you finish answering questions on any of the eight topics mentioned, you can compare your answers with those of others instantly. To ensure that the Planet Project was not just limited to Internet users alone, 500 volunteer "Planet Pollsters" were also enlisted and sent to remote corners of the globe equipped with laptops, handheld computers, modems, and portable satellite up-links.

These pollsters ensured that opinions of people without access to the Net were also included in the results.

As for how popular it has grown to become, the project was originally scheduled to end on November 18, but has now been extended for several additional weeks to enable more people around the world to have their opinions counted.

A simultaneous "Student Underground" version of the Project was held from November 15 to 18, comprising questions created by an International Youth Panel with members from around the world. This is also available at the site and is -- believe it or not -- apparently the largest global student poll in history.

Now for some of the more interesting results posted. Did you know that a majority of married Asians would change something about their spouses if they could, but that 52 percent of Indians are happy with the way their spouses are?

Another surprise: According to results of the current US poll, people residing outside the US prefer Gore to Bush, by 3-1. Another poll on weight had these results: Women around the world are not merely concerned about how much they weigh, most of them think about it constantly -- twice as much as men do, with the Brazilians topping the list (43 per cent thinking about it constantly).

For more titbits on stuff like how many people dream in black and white, and how many sleep less than five hours, try this

This project is testimony of another incredible role that technology can play in our lives today, breaking down geographical boundaries and bringing the world closer together. In the words of Bill Coleman, founder, chairman and CEO of Bea Systems: "The Planet Project is a magnificent endeavour, one that would not have been possible even just a couple years ago. By its sheer magnitude, the project will showcase the incredible power of today's technology as a medium of communication, connectedness and community for the worldwide e-generation."

So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and have your say!

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