"Should the Polls Become Automatic?" Topic

The current system for creating a poll is:

1. Member posts a proposal to the Poll Suggestions board.
2. TMP community discusses the proposal.
3. The moderator posts the poll when it reaches the top of the list, editing the proposal for presentation and content, discarding polls which violate TMP's community rules.

Many other websites allow users to post their own polls, without moderator intervention. This process, if adapted for TMP, might work like this:

1. Member initiates forum discussion about a topic he thinks might make a good poll topic, and collects options. (optional)
2. Member posts poll, creating the question and options.
3. The server schedules the poll.
4. When the poll is run, if it violates TMP community rules, members can file complaints, and the moderator can take action (if needed).

Should TMP convert to such an "automatic" poll process?

* yes
* no
* no opinion

Absolutely not. Leave the system as it is.

No, the poll topics generate enough controversy as it is, with the pre-screening before posting.

Rick

Absolutely, definitely, positively not.

No Bill, leave this one as is….

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NO!

Nyet.

No

No.

What SMC1 said……………NO!
VR
James Mattes

I have to echo the others and say "No."

Steve

No.

No, I think allowing us to post them directly is a recipe for a heap of unpleasantness.

No, in fact I would like to see some way of the community rejecting the poll outright.

No, it is bad enough now. This would be worse.

Depends.

Yes – if you want to/plan to lock a bunch of accounts.

No – If you want some shred of control / decency about.

Your site, you decide.

no

Just giving options, that's all.

No, I think that would lead to more problems with polls rather than less! :o)

No.

No.

That seems fairly conclusive…

No, leave this one as is.

No.

No – and were it me (and it was at one time, since I
ran a BBS site years ago), I'd delete altogether the
ability to post polls.

no

Make up your mind Bill. Either the inmates run the asylum or it's "Bill's house, Bill's rules."

Frankly, I'd feel better if you removed yourself as the editor and take the role of publisher and take 2-3 moderators on to do the dirty work. You have obviously allowed personal bias and liberal interpretations of your rules to unfairly target particular members.

For what reason, I don't know. Vendetta? Jollies?

That way lies madness and death.

Make up your mind Bill. Either the inmates run the asylum or it's "Bill's house, Bill's rules."

That's kind of silly. Since I own and have responsibility for this place, I'm always going to have the ultimate say on what goes on here. But that's not what this is about. This is about whether to take some of the training wheels off, and give TMP members a more direct role with regard to interacting with the website.

Frankly, I'd feel better if you removed yourself as the editor and take the role of publisher and take 2-3 moderators on to do the dirty work.

I've brought up the idea of using volunteer moderators before, and the feedback was extremely negative. Maybe it's time to bring that back up as a poll option, and see what the community thinks now?

Alternately, I'm considering taking on a few hired hands. The major problem there, of course, is the expense… and the training… and adding further admin tools to the website to support them…

You have obviously allowed personal bias and liberal interpretations of your rules to unfairly target particular members. For what reason, I don't know. Vendetta? Jollies?

I'm not conscious of any vendettas, and I try to apply the rules as fairly as I can, but feel free to come to your own conclusions. On the other hand, beware what they say about judges…

No

TMPers have shown they need training wheels. No.

No.

NO

No
Grelber

To be honest, I've never quite gotten the point of the posting the Poll subject as a discussion thread.

That, in effect, ends up being a poll in itself as people end up discussing the 'meat' of the poll, rather than simply whether it should exist or not.

I personally think that it would easier if people were able to submit a poll without discussing it, but that the editor was able to vet the polls before publishing.

Discussing whether a poll should be poll seems a bit too much like naval gazing for me!

Honestly, I'd rather see a little more editorial control over which polls get posted. Some are clearly more geared towards encouraging discussion as opposed to accounting the opinions of the community. And some are thinly veiled flames. And some are, you know, just a cheap joke. But because all are treated equally, there's a backlog of more than half a year, meaning by the time some legitimate polls make it to market, they're already out of date.