I've noticed some pretty pointless and rubbish polls popping up, even for things where I think the topic itself would be worthwhile. I've decided to repost in modified form a how to on polls I posted to another forum some years ago:
DESIGNING A GOOD POLL
Some hints on how to create a good poll:
RULES
Well, these aren't rules – but I had to catch your attention. These are guidelines that will get you going pretty straight:
- You probably don't need to make a poll.
- If you don't plan on coming back and looking at the poll – don't make it.
- If you already know the answer to the question – don't make a poll.
- Keep your opinions out of the poll itself.
- You get to ask one question. So ask one question.
- Make it easy for people to answer and more people will answer.
GENERAL
Each option should be clear, concise and unbiased
Each poll option should consist of a very short (preferably a single word) option followed by a space or a dash with a short statement of what this option means. For example:
In a poll asking if you like the new expansion
YES – I like the new expansion
NO – I do not like the new expansion
In a poll asking for your preferred class:
HUNTER - I prefer the hunter
MAGE – I prefer the mage
WARLOCK – I prefer the warlock
The following are poor poll options:
YES – I like the warlock
NO – I like the mage
This poll is biased towards Warlock, as it associates him with the affirmative response.
yeah
nah – he sux
yes
no
No two options should intersect in meaning
Whilst not always entirely possible, it's best to aim for giving each voter only one way of expressing their choice. Avoid 'maybe', or 'I would if' types of options. For example:
In a poll asking what race they prefer:
GNOME – I would choose a gnome
HUMAN – I would choose a human
TAUREN – I would choose a tauren
The following is an example of poor option choice due to an overlap in meaning:
GNOME – I would choose a gnome
HUMAN – I would choose a human
TAUREN – I would choose a tauren
HORDE - I would choose a horde race
DRUID - I would choose a druid race
Some people have two places to vote – remember ask one question only.
The Options should be ordered logically
Put some thought into the ordering of options. Generally, put YES first, NO second. Order numerical choices from lowest to highest. Alphabetical order is a good choice for some things, such as names. However, you may want to order them in some way associated with the question. For example, in a poll relating to movie preferences, you may choose to order them by the year they were released.
There are many ways to order things; as long as it's logical, it's fine. Also, you may want to provide an option for people who have either no interest in voting, or people who want to vote but where nothing suits them (note the difference).
For a list of unordered options (for example political parties, player names), randomise the list and give each item a number. Remember to give the no interest and other the last places e.g.:
1 – Star Wars
2 – Lord of the Rings
3 – The Matrix
OTHER – An unlisted movie
UNDECIDED – Nothing yet
The Poll Should Stand Alone
Voters should be able to vote on a poll by reading just the thread title and the poll itself. They should not need to read your opinion or explanation in the original post. A significant number of people will be interested in voting, but not in participating – you want to make sure you get their vote. Make it easy for them to choose.
Special Choices
There are some special options you may wish to include:
The OTHER option should clearly be labelled OTHER and then explain exactly what is meant by OTHER (which may be ambiguous without an option). OTHER should allow for ANYONE with an opinion on the topic to choose this option without reservation, so make sure they can. OTHER is for people who have an opinion which is not listed.
The UNDECIDED option shouldn't need to be used, unless you really think it is needed. Someone who is undecided should simply not vote, however in some cases (especially political arena) undecided is a valid point of view and should be treated as such.
SPECIFIC POLLS
Check this section to see if what you want to know is listed here:
Does someone agree?
The easiest of polls. Feel free to state your opinion in the original post, but keep ALL of your opinion out of the poll itself. For example, you think Cataclysm is great, but you want to check:
YES – Cataclysm is great
NO – Cataclysm is not great
UNDECIDED – Still Deciding
Note that you use the same word in both the yes and no options, just changing the meaning with the word not. Avoid using non-opposite words here. In the UNDECIDED option, I have not given any opinion on Cataclysm, but rather, used words to not to mix up with the actual poll.
Big hint – don't put negatives in the YES and positives in the NO. That is, it's very poor practice to put the following poll forward:
YES – Cataclysm is rubbish
NO – Cataclysm is not rubbish
UNDECIDED – Still Deciding
The positive response should always vote for the positive answer, where this is relevant. The positive answer is not always the one you agree with.
Always put the positive response with the YES option first in the polls, irrespective of your opinion on the poll.
What does someone think?
If you want to find out what people think – then don't use a poll. That's the whole idea of threads, to ask what people think. There is no point trying to summarise 100,000 people's possible thought processes into 12 poll options.
So – unless you can think of a real poll question – you should never have a poll for what people think.
What's the most popular object/item?
Using a poll to ask what the most popular item is – well it's pretty much a waste of time if there is more than 3 or 4 objects. If you are really desperate to do so, then there are a few simple guidelines.
Feel free to put your opinion forward in the original post, however as always, leave your opinion well and truly out of the mix.
Compare apples with apples; there is no point having a poll asking if people prefer a Mage or a Night Elf. This breaks the rule of only asking one question.
If there are short names for the options, use them as tags – if not use numbers. By tag, I mean the short name at the front of a poll (like YES, BOB etc). So lets assume you want to find the most popular fruit:
APPLE – My favourite fruit is the apple
ORANGE- My favourite fruit is the orange
BANANA – My favourite fruit is the banana
OTHER – Another fruit is my favourite fruit.
Notice we use the same text for each option. This allows a person to focus on their option (say ORANGE) quickly, then read across and validate their choice quickly and easily (no need to read the entire poll). This minimises voters picking the wrong choice. Remember, make it easy to vote.
Hopefully this helps at least a few people create polls which are valuable, and a little useful.
PS: Can't get the formatting to stick, so it looks a bit messy ... can't do much about that sorry.