• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, December 3, 2014

Media companies like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, as well as the Clinton Global Initiative have used Microsoft's Bing Pulse technology, which allows viewers to provide feedback on the content being shown on television or discussed in a large crowd. Now Microsoft is bringing the technology to the masses in a self-service platform.

On Wednesday, Microsoft released the beta version of voting platform to gauge real-time sentiment, allowing instant audience feedback in real-time. Free to try during the initial beta phase, the self-service version of the real-time voting technology allows participants to make more informed decisions about the content they are viewing by understanding other reactions to events.

While news organizations have not paid to use the technology, Microsoft plans to free and paid services after an initial test period. Microsoft has created a tutorial to guide users through the setup process. Voting promotes the voter to answer additional questions like the level of education and age. Votes are recorded with the demographics.

The idea to capitalize on the second screen could put Bing more in touch with the estimated 80% of Americans using smartphones or tablets to enhance their experience while watching news, sports and entertainment on television or attending live events. Bing Pulse enables broadcasters, organizers and advertisers to engage with viewers on the second screen.

Similar to SurveyMonkey, those interested in using Bing Pulse can sign up online and write their own questions to serve to a specific audience. Microsoft hopes the analytics behind the self-serve platform will difference the tools.

Those in the audience click to indicate whether they agree or disagree with a question as often as every five seconds. Meeting or conference organizers can opt to display the results immediately.