Polls, and why we don't like them.

[Otto Vondrak]

Since we launched the new Railroad.net, we have never been fond of the "polling" option that is available to the users of this software. In our opinion, polls are a shortcut to true conversation. We find that the poll feature tends to be the subject of abuse, for instance, frivilous posts like, "What's your favorite engine? 1) Pink Ones 2) Purple Ones 3) Green Ones 4) Green and Blue Ones... etc." Questions like this only spawn an endless flurry of "mee too" posts that do not add anything to the overall conversation. In short, poll clutter up the landscape of our forum, and prevent "real" conversation.

During one of our recent software updates, some settings were defaulted and allowed all registered users to create polls at will. The poll feature has now been disabled, and will remain an Admin-only feature. On some occassions, there are legitimate reasons to start a poll. If you would like to start a poll for a particular topic, please let us know, and we'll create it for you.

[crazy_nip]

Its always good to take choices away from the people that like and use the functions this forum provides

I dont like polls either, but they serve a purpose

[Ken V]

I agree with the last statement made by the gentleman from Florida

I dont like polls either, but they serve a purpose

Sometimes there will be a topic for which a poll will gather more feedback than a conversation or information exchange would. Polls also receive more responses and summarize the results.

I also agree with the gentleman from New York

We find that the poll feature tends to be the subject of abuse

Useless polls are not only those created by the originator but valid polls responded to by those who don't care.

Any poll taken should be viewed with the appropriate grains of salt.

I don't usually respond to the polls here, or elsewhere, without a valid comment. I did try a poll of my own (http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7234) once, as an experiment, and found it interesting, although not too valuable. (p.s. I didn't vote in that poll)

[CRail]

I think polls would be more efficient if more people voted in them. There are only a few instances where they are usefull as well, i support the idea of having moderators controll the use of polls.

[Otto Vondrak]

You misunderstood- we did not ban polls, just moved control of poll creation to moderators and admins. Like it was when we first launched the site.

-otto-

[F3A]

You misunderstood- we did not ban polls, just moved control of poll creation to moderators and admins. Like it was when we first launched the site.

-otto-

Bad move in my opinion Otto.

Please reconsider restoring the poll function for everyone to utilize.

After all, people who are responsible posters and who act like adults will create polls like adults.

[Robert Paniagua]

I'm also against polls now, at first I liked them, but now they have been abused a bit. And yes, Nip's a bit humorous when he said "TerryC" from starting polls. But I have to agree with Otto here, and that polls should only be done by Site Admins (him and Mike) as well as Mods, and this way, things can be controlled a bit here rather then let it get out of hand.

[CNJ]

I really disagree with this action.

You say this is done under the guise of the moderators having control and regulating the polls. Where then is the free flow of information? How then can an ordinary user take a sampling of opinions on some aspect of railroading that they have an interest in?

I can understand if a few folks might have been abusing the poll function, but as with posters who spam...they can in turn be monitored and/or controld by the site admins or the respective moderators.

The action of curtailing polling in my opinion stifles the free flow of ideas, and could potentially have the capacity to turn people off of the these forums altogether.

And that is not what anyone here wants now is it?

[MikeF]

How then can an ordinary user take a sampling of opinions on some aspect of railroading that they have an interest in?

He can ask the moderator to start a poll on the topic in which he's interested. What's so hard about that?

[CNJ]

How then can an ordinary user take a sampling of opinions on some aspect of railroading that they have an interest in?

He can ask the moderator to start a poll on the topic in which he's interested. What's so hard about that?

Its not that its hard...its silly...and here's why:

I don't have to ask a moderator if I wish to place a post. Why should I need permission to place a poll if I am a responsible poster?

I consider posting and polling to be on the same level.

Make sense to you now?

[Christian S.]

I agree with CNJ, F3A, and crazy_nip. Polls can come in very handy under certain circumstances and could prove to be useful for certain topics. Let's not limit the forum users' liberty too much, shall we, gentlemen?

-Christian S.

[crazy_nip]

how about we ask the moderators permission prior to starting a thread?

[Otto Vondrak]

We have restored all forum settings as they were when we launched the site. The polling feature has *always* been disabled.

-otto-

[Guest]

Otto,
Why even bother posting this thread? Why don't you just do it and be done with it? Clearly you don't want any discusssion about it.

And why do you keep deleting my sig files? Are you that lame and insecure that you can't take a little ribbing?

That's just bloody pathetic!

-r

[F3A]

Sounds like an blatantly arbitrary decision to me.

The least you could have done was consult us, the users about what you were planning to do.

Why hasn't anyone answered the question as to why you have to have permission before posting a poll?