# Seeking input about the "best song by letter" polls **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music, mmm-song-poll\ **Created:** [October 27, 2023, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171 "2023-10-27T11:54:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/1 "2023-10-27T11:54:01Z")
See [this thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/final-poll-what-is-the-best-l-song-select-just-one/992005) for reference. I’ve decided to limit the final poll for each letter to the top ten vote-getting songs (a little more or less if there is a tie). Given that, how many votes should I allow in the final poll to determine the best of that ten? _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/1))_ How long should I leave the polls open for voting? _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/1))_ mmm ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/2 "2023-11-16T18:48:38Z")
Input of a different type: maybe have a poll of “Best song that has sound effects”? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/3 "2023-11-17T18:16:05Z")
I’m just wondering why thread games are in Cafe Society and not in Thread Games. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/4 "2023-11-17T19:10:10Z")
I wish they had been done in alphabetical order since I could thus prepare beforehand for my noms. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/5 "2023-11-18T13:16:09Z")
I just realized that it’s a shame that the Discourse polls function doesn’t support the model where you have 10 (or some number greater than 1) votes, and can distribute them across the candidates in multiple or single votes per candidate. (so, if you are particularly passionate about one or two songs, you can put all 10 votes on those candidates). It would make for some interesting results. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/6 "2023-11-18T14:04:38Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I’m just wondering why thread games are in Cafe Society and not in Thread Games. They’re not thread games. You can add them all to your ignore list using the mmm-song-poll tag. > [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I wish they had been done in alphabetical order since I could thus prepare beforehand for my noms. You can still do that. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/7 "2023-11-18T15:50:09Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > You can add them all to your ignore list using the mmm-song-poll tag. I know how you add a user to your ignore list, but how do you ignore a tag? ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/8 "2023-11-18T16:00:46Z")
click on the tag in any thread the thread list of tagged threads will appear somewhere on the page is the little bell icon (mine is in the upper right) Click on the bell and set all the threads to muted ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/9 "2023-11-18T16:02:57Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > Click on the bell and set all the threads to muted I see: muted, not ignored. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/10 "2023-11-18T16:04:38Z")
And can we expect a new series of polls on the best songs that feature a particular letter in their titles multiple times? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/11 "2023-11-18T17:05:13Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > They’re not thread games. They have rules on how to “play” them (explicitly stated in the OP of each thread). They are the very definition of thread games. But… > [@pjd](#): > > You can add them all to your ignore list using the mmm-song-poll tag. That is a fantastic tip, thank you. I have the Thread Games category muted and suddenly there are thread games all over one of my favorite categories. But the tag helps, so I guess it’s not an issue for me, personally. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/12 "2023-11-18T19:59:20Z")
The threads should be stickied until they’re concluded, and the next letter shouldn’t begin until then. Just mho. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/13 "2023-11-19T05:26:03Z")
I dunno. I kind of like the breakneck pace. A random letter poll pops up and you need to scramble to come up with a list of at least a dozen favorite songs, because sure as shootin’ some of them are going to be taken by the time you get to listing them. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/14 "2023-11-19T12:40:22Z")
FYI - The mods will now add “POLL ADDED” or “FINAL POLL ADDED” to the thread titles once polls are up. MMM ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/15 "2023-11-19T18:39:51Z")
_How long should you leave nominations open?_ You forgot to ask that. Three days would be good for that. Seems there should be at least as much time to propose what we’re voting on, as you give us to vote on it. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/16 "2023-11-19T19:03:51Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > _How long should you leave nominations open?_ > > You forgot to ask that. No, I did not forget. Nominations stay open until submissions start winding down, then polls go up. mmm ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/17 "2023-11-19T19:33:16Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Nominations stay open until submissions start winding down Whatever that means. All I can say is, nominations “wind down” awfully fast. Just speaking for myself, half the time, they’ve “wound down” before I see the thread, even if it’s been less than two days since I checked the forum. Or you could just give a list in advance of which letters will have their threads open on which days. Not sure why one rule applies to nominations, and another rule applies to voting. Does voting not ‘wind down’? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/18 "2023-11-19T19:45:15Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > They have rules on how to “play” them (explicitly stated in the OP of each thread). They are the very definition of thread games. > > But… As a #Cafe Society Mod and the only #Thread Games mod I decided the music part outweighed the Thread Game part and left them here but added the tag at someone’s suggestion. > [@BlankSlate](#): > > The threads should be stickied until they’re concluded, and the next letter shouldn’t begin until then. Just mho. No way will that happen. As it is **MMM** knows not to have too many cluttering up Cafe Society at a time. Making something borderline Cafe stickied is a silly waste of time for the Mods and probably annoying to more posters than would find it helpful. We don’t sticky much. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/19 "2023-11-19T20:52:39Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > As a #Cafe Society Mod and the only #Thread Games mod I decided the music part outweighed the Thread Game part and left them here but added the tag at someone’s suggestion. Thanks for the tags. With tags they might as well be their own category, 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171/20 "2023-11-19T20:55:57Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > They have rules on how to “play” them (explicitly stated in the OP of each thread). They are the very definition of thread games. No, they are suggestions by your fellow SDMBers as to songs and tunes they like that maybe you will also. This is a fantastic and fun idea. I am finding new music, even. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-input-about-the-best-song-by-letter-polls/992171.md?page=2)