One-sided polls

Discussion in 'Community Discussion' started by PenguinDJ, Apr 29, 2015.

  1. So, one-sided polls. They've been on my mind for a while, and I've (finally) decided to post about them. There's one distinct type of one-sided poll:

    1. Polls that have string attached and usually make the voters look bad
    ex) Do you like this thread?
    Choice 1: Yes, it's amazing. I LOVE it! <3
    Choice 2: No, it sucks and you shouldn't be contributor this is so bad </3

    So, what's the harm? There are a few major things, but first a real example:
    Example A.PNG

    - Dissuades people from voting
    - Can make the voter feel badly
    > This can mean people voted positively even if they felt differently
    - Can be rude
    > See the rules. You're indirectly calling a voter rude in the second poll
    - Most of the time, people don't fit into a poll option

    Yes, that is a real example. As you can see, it does fit all of the criteria of a one-sided poll of this type. In this particular example, the "message" mentioned was about being nice to others. I'm not pointing out threads or names on any example, for obvious reasons. Why does it fit? (Note the color codes on the bullets.)
    - Some people may not like to be pictured as a mean person if they didn't like what was written. Of course, this doesn't mean the voter doesn't like being kind to people.
    - This is especially true of votes that display responses publicly. At least this one didn't, but people may still feel as though the option they picked makes them appear to be mean and unkind, as the poll option would suggest.
    - The thread creator is implying that everyone voted is rude: "I'll go with being mean".
    - This is true for me. The message didn't happen to stand out, which was why I picked the second option, but I certainly will not go around being mean to people.

    Okay, next example:
    Example B.PNG
    This one is not nearly as bad as the first, but still has one aspect of a biased poll. The thread was discussing adding a PvP chat channel:

    - There's not an option that fits PvP'ers who use residence or local chat, and instead accuses everyone of using town chat while PvP'ing.

    Last one. This is relating to a new build coming soon on the Empire:
    Example C.PNG
    This is a lot like the first one, in that it meets most aspects of a one-sided poll.
    - Many people wouldn't want to vote for a choice in which they come off as rude, but that's the only negative option.
    - You'd be "insulting" the thread creator, which isn't a nice thing to do. But, she did walk right into those negative/rude votes by creating the poll in the first place.
    - How about the people who thought it wasn't going to be good, but don't want to sound like a jerk for voting?

    Lots of obvious problems in this one:

    - This is a question that, if answered truthfully for some people, can make the voter feel badly. If people happen to dislike the person, they might still say that they do.
    - That also dissuades people from voting, because who likes to publicly say they dislike someone?

    Obvious stuff aside, there are two giant red flags. I've highlighted them in red:
    - This person, though asking them to be honest in their vote, is telling the voter that they will know what the voter voted for.
    - You never want to (especially in these types of questions) say that you'll know what they voted for. That's essentially saying, "If you say you don't like me I'll know."
    - Even though this may not bother some people, it bothers others greatly. These kind of polls should be done without showing results.

    Biased and one-sided polls are good for nobody, so do the Empire a favor - don't make them. Instead of my (fake) example:
    Do you like this thread?
    Choice 1: Yes, it's amazing. I LOVE it! <3
    Choice 2: No, it sucks and you shouldn't be contributor this is so bad </3

    I could say:
    Do you like this thread?
    Choice 1: Definitely
    Choice 2: Could be better

    It's fair, doesn't make the person sound rude, includes many people (there still could be the few who absolutely hate it), and is overall a better option.

    Please don't post an example of a biased poll in the comments. If you want to point one out, you have two options. One, PM me here. Two, don't. If you have a better example of a one-sided poll, please PM me and don't post here. If you accuse anyone of a biased poll here, I will have it deleted.

    Thanks for reading! As always, please discuss if you disagree/agree with something stated here. I didn't include threads or names so there shouldn't be a problem. However, if you do disagree with something posted, please post below if it should involve the community. Otherwise, here's the link to message me.

    -PenguinDJ
  2. I also wanted to add a little section on displaying options publicly. Mainly, I wanted to say be careful. It's not a good idea to tick this box unless it's not serious. If it's a poll on a suggestion, it's best to leave votes private. However, if you have votes public, please don't call out the person for voting negatively (or even positively). If they comment, feel free to have a discussion with them, but leave it there.

    Some people may not want to vote if public vote display is on because they don't like the idea. Just be careful, is all I'm saying here. Use your common sense--you'll know if votes should be public.
    kitten3101, goreman2000 and Olaf_C like this.
  3. I have been mad about this for so long. Thank you!
  4. All I can notice are those sexy bullet points.
  5. I agree with you, there are far too many biased, or one-sided polls. I feel that these people are only hurting themselves because I typically don't vote on polls like that, so they aren't getting an accurate result.
    TechFilmer, FDNY21 and PenguinDJ like this.
  6. Agreed with all of the above. One-sided posts means there is no variation and therefore there is no accurate result. Also, those bullet points are sexy.
    TechFilmer, SkyDragonv8 and PenguinDJ like this.
  7. Pab10S and PenguinDJ like this.
  8. I have been waiting for this thread forever. I vote this poll for thread of the year. =P
    PineappleGem and PenguinDJ like this.


  9. If they don't want it as an option to vote on then don't include it. It's really that simply. So for that I disagree about the rudeness example.
    Gawadrolt likes this.
  10. Do you think this thread actually makes a good point?
    • Yes. It makes a lot of sense and should totally change the way people make polls.
    • No. I didn't take the time to read the OP because I know it won't go anywhere.
    In all seriousness, I have noticed polls like this a lot and have commented on them because of how one-sided and "unfair" they are, because the person (people) who created these polls really aren't giving much of an option. They just WANT people to agree with their point, even if it means making anyone who disagrees seem like a total jerk for everyone else to see. Whether or not the votes are "anonymous", it can still affect how/what people vote for.
  11. I don't think I fully understand what you're saying.

    I had these three examples so I used them. A better example of rudeness in a poll option would be "No, I don't like this idea (if u vote 4 this ur an idiot" which I believe I've seen at one point - I may be wrong though.

    My point in the "rudeness" part was to stray far away from the basic idea of "You're stupid" rudeness. I forgot to say that I always just vote for the "yes" or "no" answer, and don't take into consideration the biased poll option when voting, if I do.

    Which is where the "rudeness" part comes in. For a person (like me) who votes based on the concept of yes or no, that poster is implying that the voter is, in that example, "being mean to people".

    Now whether this the same thing as calling yourself "mean" is debatable, considering you picked the option yourself. I don't think it's okay, mainly because of the other 3 things I've stated--but in general, this is implying that a player is "mean" which is against the rules.

    Yes, it is a stretch, but it was the only example I had.
  12. Ya know what, I think I completely misread what you were saying. At first I read as if you were speaking out about people being rude for voting for a certain option. I've re-read this and see this is the opposite. Apologies.
    ShelLuser, jkjkjk182 and PenguinDJ like this.
  13. Have to agree with the thread but there's one comment I would like to make: were these polls actually meant seriously or was it all in a good jest? That is a very important distinction to make as well...
    Gawadrolt likes this.
  14. I think you have way to much time and emotion invested in polls, which are largely useless and almost always wrong(to some extent) on the information they provide. One sided polls are awesome, its called comedy hahahaha. <--- see what I did there? Of course you did, you are still reading XP

    Seriously though, thats not being rude and to insinuate its insulting those people that voted for theat option is a bit silly. Everyone can choose an option that is not listed in the poll: don't vote. IF you feel it is insulting that you have chose your choice, that's more along the lines of insulting yourself, not being insulted by a poll(or the person who posted it, which is indirect correlation, which even is a stretch to say it is that)

    edit: ninjad by shell with the tl:dr version XD
    ShelLuser likes this.
  15. Made the post considerably shorter by cutting out a chunk. It's an improvement, in my opinion. If anyone was curious, it was the part about one type of answer choice.

    I've decided that wasn't a big deal for two reasons.
    1. They harm nobody except the creator.
    2. I said they were okay when used as a joke. Upon consideration, I've realized that 99% of the time, they're not meant seriously.

    Of course, you may think they're not okay, but I've had a change of heart mind. Which brings me to another topic that was actually supposed to be in the first post but I forgot to add it:

    Please don't post an example of a biased poll in the comments. If you want to point one out, you have two options. One, PM me here. Two, don't. If you have a better example of a one-sided poll, please PM me and don't post here. If you accuse anyone of a biased poll here, I will have it deleted.

    On a side not, this does go for this post, too:
  16. *applauds* This is a point that has needed to be made for a long time. I agree 100% with everything that you've said in your main post. Polls of this sort need to stop if we are to have the maximum level of happiness and health within our community.
    Yes, they were gorgeous, weren't they? :eek:
    They sure look serious to me. If there's any joke to be found in there, I don't see it. Once in a while you'll come across a poll that is clearly a joke poll, but I'd say that all of the included examples only promote negativity. If the creator wanted them to be a joke, they didn't exactly leave any notes on that. :p
    FDNY21 and PenguinDJ like this.
  17. I have to agree, I've seen many polls like the ones show and it kind of annoys me.
  18. I mean, ideally, you would want the options in a poll to encompass the set of all possibilities, right? You don't want possibilities that are not accounted for by any option, nor do you want any overlap between options (unless it's a pick-multiple-answers type of poll). So, when an option is so specific that it says something like "No, it's the stupidest idea I've ever heard of," and the only other option is "Yes," then there's a whole range of possible opinions not accounted for, which is a problem in and of itself, without even thinking about the forced-rudeness aspect. Polls exist to gather statistical data, but you have to have a bit of an understanding of statistics in order to actually formulate a poll that represents what it's meant to. However, since poll-making is just a toy that anyone can use, the thought needed to make a good one isn't put in every time, so you're gonna get some weird ones. Oh well. :rolleyes:
    jkjkjk182 likes this.
  19. I don't think the people that choose the negative-sounding poll answers really mean it. I mean, why would the creator of the poll put that response in, anyway?

    Also, the negative answer could be worded in a different way to sound less rude. :)

    You chose "No, this message didn't stand out to me. I think I'll go with being mean to people." :p
    FDNY21 likes this.