05-23-2003, 07:11 PM
kandrathe,May 23 2003, 01:34 PM Wrote:Perhaps we need a standard for Poll Etiquette.A "poll etiquette?" Please. The only etiquette required is the same informal one we follow (hopefully) for regular posts.
No one is forcing you to vote or to view the results of these polls. The author of the poll may want to see some numbers -- just because those numbers only tell a small picture of the whole story doesn't devalue the numbers themselves. As Nik pointed out, the polls nearly always include long, more detailed responses. The poll option may only add some numbers (that don't really mean much), but nor does it detract from the responses that follow.
As for the fact that "many recent polls have been frivolous," so have many regular boring old threads. It's not the poll option that makes the thread frivolous -- it's the author.
I don't understand why people are so intent on flaming the poll feature -- it may be limited in use, but it does have some use. If you must flame polls, flame them one at a time (assuming they deserve it).
The fact that polls have been "frivolous" does not mean the poll option should be eliminated, just as the presence of "frivolous" posts doesn't mean the post option should be removed.
gekko
"Life is sacred and you are not its steward. You have stewardship over it but you don't own it. You're making a choice to go through this, it's not just happening to you. You're inviting it, and in some ways delighting in it. It's not accidental or coincidental. You're choosing it. You have to realize you've made choices."
-Michael Ventura, "Letters@3AM"
-Michael Ventura, "Letters@3AM"