# We're going to try polling **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 22, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110 "2009-09-22T18:00:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/1 "2009-09-22T18:00:35Z")
We’re going to switch on polling for a while in IMHO (which seems like the obvious place) and see if it crashes the server or other disasters occur. Look for it to start a little later this afternoon (Tuesday 9/22). ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/2 "2009-09-22T18:03:01Z")
There is a poll [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=533069), which has instructions on how everything works. I temporarily stickied it. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/3 "2009-09-22T18:22:43Z")
Thanks, Ed. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/4 "2009-09-22T18:25:05Z")
Hey, shouldn’t we vote on this? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/5 "2009-09-22T18:41:34Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Hey, shouldn’t we vote on this? > 😉 Huh. You must have been gone that day. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/6 "2009-09-22T18:46:50Z")
groovy ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/7 "2009-09-22T19:54:11Z")
I like you. Do you like me? Check yes or no. \_\_\_Yes … \_\_\_No ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/8 "2009-09-22T19:56:34Z")
Thanks, Ed! Looks groovy. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/9 "2009-09-22T19:58:10Z")
I done one! 🙂 > **[Political Affilliation Poll](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=533091)** > > With which party’s principles and platforms do you most identify? ---
**Author:** ![hobscrk777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@hobscrk777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobscrk777)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/10 "2009-09-22T20:13:05Z")
I, for one, love this feature. I hope it sticks around. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/11 "2009-09-22T20:31:15Z")
Might it be turned on in this forum so curious posters could explore the feature without cluttering up IMHO? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/12 "2009-09-22T20:48:52Z")
I think that’s a reasonable request. I’ll do it. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/13 "2009-09-22T20:52:24Z")
Awesome! Thanks for listening to us minions. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/14 "2009-09-22T22:04:16Z")
Yippee!🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/15 "2009-09-23T00:58:45Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > We’re going to switch on polling for a while in IMHO (which seems like the obvious place) and see if it crashes the server or other disasters occur. Look for it to start a little later this afternoon (Tuesday 9/22). Thank you, Ed. I’d like to mention that while I have wholeheartedly supported turning on polls, I’ll be happy if they are treated the same way as regular IMHO threads; i.e., closed if inappropriate. Since it will be impossible to move polls, polls that lead to threads that would normally be moved should be closed with a suggestion to open a thread in the appropriate forum. The latter is probably not a great solution, but I think it’s the best. Just my two cents, imagining that I were an IMHO moderator. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/16 "2009-09-23T01:04:59Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Just my two cents, imagining that I were an IMHO moderator. Heh. I see **Czarcasm** has already imagined it if he were an IMHO moderator. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/17 "2009-09-23T01:27:35Z")
[moderating] I’d like to repeat the first paragraph of my rules/instructions post in IMHO here, just so everyone sees it (emphasis added): We’re not really changing any rules here. Polls have always been allowed in IMHO, but now they’re automated. **We know this is a fun new toy to play with, but PLEASE don’t overwhelm the forum with a zillion new polls right away** or all of the other threads will get pushed right off the main page. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/18 "2009-09-23T01:30:47Z")
I hope this sticks around, it’s a nice idea. Good call. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/19 "2009-09-23T12:26:31Z")
The polls are wonderful. While not perfect in construction (you can’t include every tiny nuance of relgion or politics or what-have-you), I really like the sort of instant glance results. Very helpful indeed. Some minor server resources are involved (computing the scores and painting the lines) but these are miniscule compared to demands on the database when a reply is posted. And the database itself is uninvolved, other than for posts, which it would be even without the polls. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110/20 "2009-09-24T15:33:32Z")
Unless I’m way off, polls don’t appreciably increase the load on a server housing a messageboard. Should run seamlessly. The SDMB is a little wierd that way – bridges crossed many years ago by far smaller concerns with highly active message boards are still considered risky over here. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-going-to-try-polling/511110.md?page=2)