MobileRead Voting Polls: Always hidden, or alternate?

[Kevin8or]

Originally Posted by caleb72

Hopefully, the suggestion that whatever sticks now is locked in for the next year actually holds true and we can go back to being a book club again.

Speaking of being a book club, did anyone read A Canticle for Leibowitz? I read it, and enjoyed it. It's still relevant to us in 2011. But now, a month after reading it, I find I don't have much to say about it.

Only 6 people have posted in the discussion thread.

[Hamlet53]

Originally Posted by caleb72

Can't disagree there. I did actually vote in each of the polls, but I'm beginning to think that this book club is much more about discussing voting methodology and the validity or otherwise of monthly themes than about discussing the books themselves.

Hopefully, the suggestion that whatever sticks now is locked in for the next year actually holds true and we can go back to being a book club again.

Originally Posted by Kevin8or

Speaking of being a book club, did anyone read A Canticle for Leibowitz? I read it, and enjoyed it. It's still relevant to us in 2011. But now, a month after reading it, I find I don't have much to say about it.

Only 6 people have posted in the discussion thread.

Well looking at the November 2011 Mobile Read Book Club Vote I observe that A Canticle For Leibowitz accrued 12 votes; I was not one of these. Looking at the subsequent discussion thread for this book 2 out of these 12 have actually participated in the discussion so far; ~17% . Looking at the other 59 who voted I am the only one to have made any comments. The other comments so far have come from people who did not vote.

So what to say about this? Are people only inclined to participate when their book is selected? Is the 'horse race' of more interest than actual participation? Are these monthly polls and selections of more interest to many in what the polls and polling discussion say about what sort of books people here are reading than actually reading the book and/or participating in the discussion?

[caleb72]

Originally Posted by Kevin8or

Speaking of being a book club, did anyone read A Canticle for Leibowitz? I read it, and enjoyed it. It's still relevant to us in 2011. But now, a month after reading it, I find I don't have much to say about it.

Only 6 people have posted in the discussion thread.

Didn't read this one. I waited too long to jump in and purchase and then couldn't get it. Hanging out for A Christmas Carol in December though.

[Nyssa]

I neither voted for, read nor discussed this one.

Regardless of my vote, if I am interested in the winning book, I will make an effort to participate. Time & money are my major deciding factors.

[JSWolf]

Tom, given that we have a tie here, and we have a clear winner of hidden in in the other, why are you so instant on having some open votes? What is your agenda? The people have spoken and overall hidden's won. Please give in and go with it.

[WT Sharpe]

I voted for hidden as well, but the first poll showed there was significant support for either visible or alternating, and the second....

Haven't we been over this already?

[Asawi]

Since this isn't about life and death, but just a book club vote, maybe it could be a thought to give in a bit and compromise, to make people feel more comfortable.
The longer I live the more I learn the importance of the word "compromise" and how much it can mean to have the ability to give in a bit, however "right" I think (or even know) I am.
Yes, you may say a majority wants hidden votes. But not everyone does. Is it really so bad to have everyone have it their way at least part of the time???

[HomeInMyShoes]

^What? Middle ground? Everything's not black and white?!? Oh the humanity.

I'm in complete agreement. I think seeing the votes in progess is silly, but in the end I don't really care. I don't lobby my books so I'll never see one of my nominations win. In the end, if I think I want to read what gets voted as the winner, I'll read it otherwise I won't. Life will go on. I'll still nominate something I want to read the next time a category comes up I've got something for and it will finish third in the voting.

I'm just getting all excited for the Jim Butcher versus the world fight for the Runner-Up category in January.

[WT Sharpe]

I think Storm Front came in second in ten of the eleven 2011 categories, so the January poll will probably consist of Storm Front and one other book. I'm not sure off the top of my head if it was nominated for the Romance category or not.

[Hamlet53]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I think Storm Front came in second in ten of the eleven 2011 categories, so the January poll will probably consist of Storm Front and one other book. I'm not sure off the top of my head if it was nominated for the Romance category or not.

I didn't check about this: "I think Storm Front came in second in ten of the eleven 2011 categories," but I do know that it will be competing with Lolita.

[HomeInMyShoes]

For those scoring at home, these are the runners up for 2011 that would be up for voting for January's Book Club selection:

J American Gods                        Neil Gaiman
F Pride and Prejudice                  Jane Austen 
M Orthodoxy                            GK Chesterton 
A A Confederacy of Dunces              John Kennedy Toole
M 1984                                 George Orwell
J The Spy Who Came in from the Cold    John le Carré 
J A Game of Thrones                    George R. R. Martin
A Black Rain                           Masuji Ibuse       
S Storm Front                          Jim Butcher        
O Storm Front                          Jim Butcher
N Hyperion                             Dan Simmons
D Lolita                               Vladimir Nabokov

Do we have any rules on vote splitting?

[Hamlet53]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

For those scoring at home, these are the runners up for 2011 that would be up for voting for January's Book Club selection:

J American Gods                        Neil Gaiman
F Pride and Prejudice                  Jane Austen 
M Orthodoxy                            GK Chesterton 
A A Confederacy of Dunces              John Kennedy Toole
M 1984                                 George Orwell
J The Spy Who Came in from the Cold    John le Carré 
J A Game of Thrones                    George R. R. Martin
A Black Rain                           Masuji Ibuse       
S Storm Front                          Jim Butcher        
O Storm Front                          Jim Butcher
N Hyperion                             Dan Simmons
D Lolita                               Vladimir Nabokov

Do we have any rules on vote splitting?

Thanks for pulling this together. I did not realize that the runner-up in the poll for January 2011 runner-up books from 2010 would be added to the January 2012 runner-up poll. Zombie book!

Looking at this list I am surprised at my percent success at first nominating a book that will be the runner-up. I guess this counterbalances my total failure at first nominating winners.

Vote splitting? If you mean that the poll should include Storm Front twice, I see no sense to that.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

Vote splitting? If you mean that the poll should include Storm Front twice, I see no sense to that.

No sense, but lots of giggles. And I'd be opposed to combining those votes. UNFAIR!

[WT Sharpe]

Storm Front came in second in both September and October. The closest third place for September/October was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. It garnered 12 votes, which was 15.38% of October's total. I suggest we place that one in among the nominations, since it makes little sense to list Storm Front twice. Our other option would be to have only 10 books in the poll.

As for January, the category states "Runner Up (no nominations, a vote of all the runners-up nominations from the last 11 months)", so we would only be choosing among 11 books. That's the way it was done last year. A pity, as American Gods could have proved interesting.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by issybird

No sense, but lots of giggles. And I'd be opposed to combining those votes. UNFAIR!