MobileRead To see or not to see: 2012 Voting

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

I would like to choose: "All Book Club Polls in 2012 should be Hidden. ". As much as I like my original choice, I think my new choice would be best. Its less work/remembering for you & dreams and overall more fun for me. Please and Thank You for asking the powers that be.

Well, it's not actually more work. It's just a question of remembering what the poll for the preceding month was. It makes no difference from the standpoint of work, but if you'd still like to change your vote, I've put that question in a report, although I haven't heard back yet.

[caleb72]

Well - I would have voted for making 2012 visible all the time, but I could see by the vote progress that this didn't look like it would win. I felt that alternating voting was as close as I could get to what I wanted that might still have a chance to win. So I voted for that instead.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Well, it's not actually more work. It's just a question of remembering what the poll for the preceding month was. It makes no difference from the standpoint of work, but if you'd still like to change your vote, I've put that question in a report, although I haven't heard back yet.

Yes, I would like to change it, please, if I can.

I'll understand, however, if they say no.

Thank you, again.

[John F]

I picked alternate. I think alternating is a nice compromise.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Yes, I would like to change it, please, if I can.

I'll understand, however, if they say no.

Thank you, again.

Well, what Tom can do is just manually change your answer after the poll is done so your answer will be the one you want it changed to and then if that helps hidden win, then hidden wins.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by caleb72

Well - I would have voted for making 2012 visible all the time, but I could see by the vote progress that this didn't look like it would win. I felt that alternating voting was as close as I could get to what I wanted that might still have a chance to win. So I voted for that instead.

Although if the compromise will leave most people reasonably happy, that's probably the way to go.

[JSWolf]

For those on the fence, please look at the results from November. They have been the most spread out, most even results we've ever had. There was no actual runaway. It was close. It was fair. Nobody voted based on book xyz has 5 more votes then the one I wanted so I'll vote for xyz instead of what I wanted. People voted for what they wanted. It came out to be a very interesting vote. The results (IMHO) were a lot more interesting then seeing them as we go along.

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

For those on the fence, please look at the results from November. They have been the most spread out, most even results we've ever had. There was no actual runaway. It was close. It was fair. Nobody voted based on book xyz has 5 more votes then the one I wanted so I'll vote for xyz instead of what I wanted. People voted for what they wanted. It came out to be a very interesting vote. The results (IMHO) were a lot more interesting then seeing them as we go along.

In the end, IMO, participation should be the goal (actually reading and discussing the book), not on some distribution curve of poll results.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by John F

In the end, IMO, participation should be the goal (actually reading and discussing the book), not on some distribution curve of poll results.

That's why I like the open poll. There's a much greater likelihood of selecting a book that's appealing to a large group. With closed voting, you can get a selection of interest to only a tiny plurality (especially if the nominees include more than one book of appeal to a larger subset).

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by John F

In the end, IMO, participation should be the goal (actually reading and discussing the book), not on some distribution curve of poll results.

Originally Posted by issybird

That's why I like the open poll. There's a much greater likelihood of selecting a book that's appealing to a large group. With closed voting, you can get a selection of interest to only a tiny plurality (especially if the nominees include more than one book of appeal to a larger subset).

With hidden voting you get the book that's of greatest interest to more people instead of one of two or three books that got the greatest number of votes the fastest. Even Nyssa said she might have voted differently had she been able to see the votes. Voting for her #2 choice is not the same as voting for your #1 choice. The November poll was fair. The choices were made based on the #1 choice, not because your #1 choice has no hope in heck of winning. It seems to me that you just don't truly understand this.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Well, what Tom can do is just manually change your answer after the poll is done so your answer will be the one you want it changed to and then if that helps hidden win, then hidden wins.

I've gone ahead and done that, but I'm still waiting for an admin to say whether or not they can put Nyssa name in the other column. It may not be possible.

[issybird]

I hope that, if their votes will make a difference, that those who have voted for all open voting will get their votes changed to the compromise category. Half a loaf, etc.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I've gone ahead and done that, but I'm still waiting for an admin to say whether or not they can put Nyssa name in the other column. It may not be possible.

Thank you so much, Tom. I'm sorry for all of the trouble. I'll weigh my choices more carefully next time.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Thank you so much, Tom. I'm sorry for all of the trouble. I'll weigh my choices more carefully next time.

The poll totals now reflect your changed vote, but one of the Admins told me there are no tools available for moving your name from one answer to the other. I knew I couldn't do it.

[Hamlet53]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

For those on the fence, please look at the results from November. They have been the most spread out, most even results we've ever had. There was no actual runaway. It was close. It was fair. Nobody voted based on book xyz has 5 more votes then the one I wanted so I'll vote for xyz instead of what I wanted. People voted for what they wanted. It came out to be a very interesting vote. The results (IMHO) were a lot more interesting then seeing them as we go along.

Looking at the November vote what is see is 12 votes for A Canticle For Leibowitz and 59 votes for something else (including 11 votes for Hyperion). If we really wanted the book most people would want as a first choice to achieve this with the current polling software limitation the procedure would be a preliminary vote as is done now (open or closed) and then a head-to-head contest between the top two in the first poll. If a single poll is retained then an open poll at least allows people some means to express their second choice when apparent that their first choice has no chance of being selected; particularly useful when the contest comes down to second choice versus highly undesirable choice.

Note that this says nothing about my opinion for the November selection. It being Sci-Fi I didn't really care.

Originally Posted by issybird

I hope that, if their votes will make a difference, that those who have voted for all open voting will get their votes changed to the compromise category. Half a loaf, etc.

I would agree. In fact “Each month, we should alternate between Hidden and Viewable” and “All Book Club Polls in 2012 should be Viewable” should be combined in comparison to “All Book Club Polls in 2012 should be Hidden”