Another poll!

Post Reply
lvdkeyes
Posts: 3820
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 6:40 pm
Location: Pattaya
Been thanked: 38 times
Contact:

Another poll!

Post by lvdkeyes »

Maybe someone (I can't be bothered myself) should set up another poll to find out if people want to see more of these silly polls or not. Not to say that all polls are silly.
thaiworthy

Re: Another poll!

Post by thaiworthy »

This board is only two months old and already we want to kill the polls? I say "NO!" Let the polls live. These are growing pains. It will get sorted out. I don't give up that easily.
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21458
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1305 times

Re: Another poll!

Post by Gaybutton »

Allowing members to create their own polls is a feature I can turn on or turn off at the touch of a button. I agree there are several polls that are silly, frivolous, and obviously biased toward the end desired by the person who posted the poll. I gave some thought to turning the feature off, which would force anyone who wants to create a poll to go through me to do it. That's a position I don't want to place myself in. If I were to reject someone's poll request, then once again I would be accused of censorship and favoritism, along with having to put up with people becoming highly incensed, stomping their feet, holding their breath until they're blue in the face, and running to other boards to scream about it . No thank you.

If I turn the feature off, then this board would have few further polls because I would be the only one creating any, and I don't create polls unless I see them as necessary or I believe they would be of general interest.

From where I sit, the lesser of the evils is to leave things status quo and rely on the good judgment of the person who wants to create a poll. There seems to be almost a polling frenzy going on with this board. The best I can do is ask people to create polls only when they really believe the poll is of true general interest, and not just their own interest or the interest of a few. Also, when a subject is, and has already been discussed at length, I don't see the purpose of a poll at that point. The opinions of those interested have already been posted and are known, so why the poll? I would also ask that the wording of the poll be neutral, not slanted toward the pollster's point of view, and that all polls contain an "other" option for people who feel that none of the questions covers the way they would respond.

When people create polls, I wish they would at least take time to really think through the questions, the wording, and the necessity of the poll in the first place.

For the time being I'm going to leave things as they are, not because I think that's the best choice, but only because I see the alternatives as even more of a problem.
User avatar
Bob
Posts: 1046
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:03 pm
Been thanked: 37 times

Re: Another poll!

Post by Bob »

If you'll do a poll about whether people like polls, then I'll promise to do a poll about whether people like polls about people liking polls. :lol:
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21458
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1305 times

Re: Another poll!

Post by Gaybutton »

Bob wrote:If you'll do a poll about whether people like polls, then I'll promise to do a poll about whether people like polls about people liking polls. :lol:
Great! You'll do a poll poll about polls . . .
RichLB
Posts: 1217
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 4:13 pm
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 88 times

Re: Another poll!

Post by RichLB »

lvdkeyes wrote:Maybe someone (I can't be bothered myself) should set up another poll to find out if people want to see more of these silly polls or not. Not to say that all polls are silly.
What's wrong with having polls? They are all clearly labeled and if one doesn't want to participate it is a simple matter to just skip that poll.
lvdkeyes
Posts: 3820
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 6:40 pm
Location: Pattaya
Been thanked: 38 times
Contact:

Re: Another poll!

Post by lvdkeyes »

There is nothing wrong with having polls. It seems like there is an over abundance of them lately, more than one about the same topic, so it gets a bit silly.
YardenUK

Re: Another poll!

Post by YardenUK »

Polling is quite an 'art form' - wording the questions in such a way as to ensure the best/most accurate/interesting possible results.

Now I am not saying all the polls here are awful or that we should all seek to be expert pollsters, but perhaps more time spent thinking about what it is we are trying to get from them - perhaps even a pre-poll thread to get ideas for the wording - then we might have less changes/edits and overall confusion......and in the end polls that cover as much of the topic as possible....... :ugeek:
fountainhall

Re: Another poll!

Post by fountainhall »

YardenUK wrote:Polling is quite an 'art form' - wording the questions in such a way as to ensure the best/most accurate/interesting possible results
YardenUK is absolutely right. More preliminary thought about what the pollster wants to achieve and in the framing of the questions will be a huge help. Similarly, once a draft poll has been considered, re-think it from the perspective of someone being polled, and then make any changes before posting it.
thaiworthy

Re: Another poll!

Post by thaiworthy »

If polls get killed on this board, I think RichLB and Bob should be the pollbearers. :lol:

Seriously, I want to do another poll that is a fun, uplifting poll in contrast to the Dearly Departed poll, which was a downer. Although I think YardenUK's idea is basically a splendid one, I do think I have it carefully thought out. One thing I have learned since becoming an active poster on these boards, is that there are too many differing opinions! Doing it that way would detract from its spontaneity. I would want the first thought that enters your mind. I want to know instinctively how you feel about something. If there's all this discussion, you are influenced by what people have had to say and you may not vote with your gut, but rather with some idea that was massaged by a whole other range of thought. I would want the real you, not a blend of others. It would end up being a homogenized, communal poll and defeat the purpose for what the poll was set up for in the first place.
Post Reply