When taking an online poll how do you answer?

[Drew]

I'm having a bit of a disagreement with someone over whether or not including potentially comic options will derail the results of a poll.  I figured this would be the easiest way to prove my point.

[jester]

q.e.d.

[Regullus]

 If you are seriously interested in a poll result, flawed form and all, you should not put "funny" options in the poll. When I did my "what do you think of this as a name?" poll, I put in two(?) funny (debatable) options and the options skewed the poll. I think had I restrained myself with the two redundant options, I would have received a more favorable percentage of votes. The majority thought the name was fine, so, I guess, the results were fairly accurate.

 But I think polls are widely considered flawed and you can influence the outcome by how the question is asked.

 How do I vote? Honestly, if the poll interests me, but if there is a funny option and the poll is spurious nonesense then I probably go with the funny option.

[Evaine Dian]

It depends on the quality of the whole poll. If it's serious, then I give a serious answer. If it's not, I take the funniest answer.

[Bex]

I don't vote in polls. I only blather.

[Dark Raven]

ou812?

[Drew]

The results of this poll have proven a point that I was trying to make in a different thread quite nicely.  Eral, I rest my case.

[Eral]

Does anyone have a wall I can beat my head against?

Drew. You are the best at discerning and discriminating fine points of debate. However, this skill often precludes the ability to make rash, wide, sweeping generalisations, and may prevent you from creating a broad range of options when making a poll. Your desire to prove your point may also influence you to create a poll where you are proved right no matter what the outcome is.
In short, this poll is a fix, and you should have included "inadequate" in your spurious poll because the options were too limited. And yes, we know it was spurious, but that's no excuse for it to be a dud. And Joe should have included transgender and intersexual people in his poll.

Not everyone is good at everything. Focus on your strengths. And try not to worry that you can't make a good poll to save yourself.

_{*For those who are not yet aware, purple is the new Manly Pink.}

[Joe]

No. Drew is right. Let it go.

[Drew]

If you'd like, I'd happily start a poll along a similar vein as Joe's poll with a transgender option over at yahoo.  I'm quite certain we'll find abnormally high number of transgendered people voting in that poll, too.

[Jon]

It seems to me that she is right. Observe.

...and may prevent you from creating a broad range of options when making a poll. Your desire to prove your point may also influence you to create a poll where you are proved right no matter what the outcome is.

Oh, wait. Just after that she just flat out says that Drew it wrong. Nevermind me.

Earal, how is this poll a fix? It seems well carried out to me. The high percentage of votes in the 'barnacles' option shows that Drews hypothesis is correct, and that is that, yes?

[Eral]

Jon, I kind of have my hands full picking on Joe at the moment. I am worried that if I cease relentlessly hounding him, his behaviour will deteriorate even further, and then, well I don't want to imagine the consequences. I have been kind and tolerant and that obviously been a mistake.

I can turn my attention to you, and I'm sure you would benefit, gaining an appreciation for satire and dry humour. I am concerned that at your tender age of 15? you may not enjoy it very much, and so I hesitate. I have nephews who are your age, and I know what sensitive hearts lurk within their apparently boorish exteriors. I would much prefer to wait until you are at least 25 before I enter into debate with you and squash you like a bug. Drew is 27 and he finds it difficult to cope. You have seen the small puddle to which it reduces Joe.

Please consider this carefully before throwing down the gauntlet to me again. Of course, you have a very good chance that my innate kindness to the young and foolish will stay my hand. But you might be unlucky and find I am a bit cranky and really not in the mood to be trifled with.
If after long and careful thought, you wish me to respond to your question, I will.

[Jon]

To be put simply, I am not like other 15 year-olds. I'd appreciate it if you didn't treat me as if I were.
Thanks.

Anyway, yes, please do answer my question. I'm not looking to debate with you. Just talk with you.
Fair enough?

[Joe]

Jon, I kind of have my hands full picking on Joe at the moment. I am worried that if I cease relentlessly hounding him, his behaviour will deteriorate even further, and then, well I don't want to imagine the consequences. I have been kind and tolerant and that obviously been a mistake.

I can turn my attention to you, and I'm sure you would benefit, gaining an appreciation for satire and dry humour. I am concerned that at your tender age of 15? you may not enjoy it very much, and so I hesitate. I have nephews who are your age, and I know what sensitive hearts lurk within their apparently boorish exteriors. I would much prefer to wait until you are at least 25 before I enter into debate with you and squash you like a bug. Drew is 27 and he finds it difficult to cope. You have seen the small puddle to which it reduces Joe.

Please consider this carefully before throwing down the gauntlet to me again. Of course, you have a very good chance that my innate kindness to the young and foolish will stay my hand. But you might be unlucky and find I am a bit cranky and really not in the mood to be trifled with.
If after long and careful thought, you wish me to respond to your question, I will.

You have possibly the most overblown ego of any female on the internet I have ever seen.

[Eral]

As an auntie and schoolmarm I am afraid I am programmed to respond to all 15 year olds as if they are the same. Sorry. In no way do I wish to imply there is anything wrong with being 15, or that being 15 means you are entitled to less respect, consideration or regard. Old does not equal wise, but maturity can help.

Since it is clear this is a serious question, and not a bait, we are good.

OK. This poll is so fixed. Look at the options. Whatever comes out, Drew can argue his point is proved. By putting in nonsense responses (encouraging behaviour Regullus has already described) he indicates this is not a serious poll, and hence people feel free to choose the nonsense response. If he had placed only serious options, what info would we have gained? The same? Different? As it is, all we have is further proof that Drew sucks at polls. And an opportunity to have another dig at Joe, and it is my duty to do that as often as possible.

By the way, I did not say Drew was wrong. I re-iterated my view re. his suckiness at polls. Saying people are wrong is boring and pointless. The idea is to adroitly juxtapose serious comments with ones made in jest, to lessen the chances of a snappy comeback. That's only when exchanging quips with Drew and others in the habit of thinking. Obviously, I have to keep it simple for Joe, because after all this time he still doesn't know when I am serious and when I am joking.

[Jon]

I appreciate your apology.
Though I still disagree with you.

Drew could not have possibly spoken for all the many kinds of polls in just one go; If he had included no humorous options in his poll, you could just as easily state that the poll is fixed because it indicates this poll is not a humorous one.

Ah, wait, after reading your post for the fifth time, I'm not quite sure what it is you're trying to say.

If he had placed only serious options, what info would we have gained? The same? Different? As it is, all we have is further proof that Drew sucks at polls. And an opportunity to have another dig at Joe, and it is my duty to do that as often as possible.

If you're trying to point out that what I just said is true, then you would be right. But the thing is no one could have made an 'un-fixed' poll in this instance. So it's really not that Drew sucks at polls so much as a perfect poll cannot be created for this type of situation.

Edit:

Actually, if no one (or few people) had chosen the 'barnacles' and 'Always go for the funniest answer' options, wouldn't that disprove Drews point if he thought that people would always go for the funniest answer?
Am I the only one who is unclear on what Drew wanted to prove in the first place? Maybe I missed something.

[Drew]

To clarify what the carryover is, I'm convinced that if, when creating a poll to determine how many men vs. how many women liked porn, one included a "transsexual" option a great many people would select that option because they think it is funny.  Out of the 17 respondents at this time, 5 people said they answer honestly, 5 said they answer honestly unless one of the options is really funny, and 7 responded "barnacles".  Even without the 7 respondents who selected "barnacles" I would argue that this proves my point.  Anyone who thought it would be funny to use the "transsexual" option would do that, thus destroying the credibility and usefulness of said poll.

[Bons]

When did "none of the above" go out of style? At least then, you have a neutral option that will give an indication of just how irrelevant your other choices were without luring voters into silliness like "barnacles" or "hermaphrodite."

[Macready]

Hello -

OK. This poll is so fixed. Look at the options. Whatever comes out, Drew can argue his point is proved. By putting in nonsense responses (encouraging behaviour Regullus has already described) he indicates this is not a serious poll, and hence people feel free to choose the nonsense response.

Agree.

As it is, all we have is further proof that Drew sucks at polls.

Polls suck all by themselves.  No need to pin it on Drew.

[jester]

When did "none of the above" go out of style? At least then, you have a neutral option that will give an indication of just how irrelevant your other choices were without luring voters into silliness like "barnacles" or "hermaphrodite."

True. By design the none of the above has to be the last choice so barnacles came naturally to me.  My vote actually has been the eighth. Does this mean that you voted barnacles as well, Drew?

The virtue of an 'abstain vote' has been discussed in another thread. At least every internet poll should have one.

[Drew]

When did "none of the above" go out of style? At least then, you have a neutral option that will give an indication of just how irrelevant your other choices were without luring voters into silliness like "barnacles" or "hermaphrodite."

The suggestion "hermaphrodite" was actually purported to be a viable and necessary poll option.  That you are equating "barnacles" to "hermaphrodite" only supports the point I was trying to make.

[Joe]

The virtue of an 'abstain vote' has been discussed in another thread. At least every internet poll should have one.

How about the 'abstain action' where you don't vote at all if none of the choices appeal to you?

[Eral]

Some people just don't like to lose an argument. 

[jester]

The virtue of an 'abstain vote' has been discussed in another thread. At least every internet poll should have one.

How about the 'abstain action' where you don't vote at all if none of the choices appeal to you?

Not a viable option, if your poll should get any form of legitimacy and/or meaning in form of voter turnout, but I am sure you have thought about that anyway.

[Drew]

If you wish to keep it going, Eral.....

OK. This poll is so fixed. Look at the options. Whatever comes out, Drew can argue his point is proved. By putting in nonsense responses (encouraging behaviour Regullus has already described) he indicates this is not a serious poll, and hence people feel free to choose the nonsense response.

My contention is that many respondents would consider a term like "hermaphrodite" a "nonsense response", and as my poll has shown, people have a tendency to go with nonsense responses when they are available.  Bons, at least, considers "hermaphrodite" a nonsense response and I doubt hers is a minority opinion.  Hell, even Joe and I agree on this one.  If "hermaphrodite" as a gender and "barnacles" as a poll response are considered equally absurd, then I have made my point. 

Anyway, if you really want to find out what would happen, I'd gleefully make a poll over at yahoo with Genders Male, Female, and Transgender/Neither. Just say the word.  I'm fairly certain, though, that you are well aware that there would be a hugely disproportionate number of "hermaphrodites" voting in said poll and that you are just fucking with me.  Right?