MobileRead Poll! Open vs Closed Voting in 2013

[WT Sharpe]

Three options. Multiple voting allowed on this. The poll will be open for one week.

[sun surfer]

I am voting for visible only and hope others will consider it even if they were thinking hidden or alternate might be better.

When I started with this book club, the club was larger and more vibrant. It's still a great club, but there's no denying it has shrunk some since last year.

I think one of the things that contributed to this slow change is that we started experimenting with hidden votes and then decided to alternate hidden/visible for 2012.

In the very beginning of the discussion, I was actually for hidden voting. I thought it'd be fairer and keep people from jumping on a bandwagon.

However, soon/eventually after the hidden voting started I began noticing a change in the voting threads. They went from boisterous and fun threads, which honestly were really a good part of the fun of the book club back then, to almost nothing many months.

I admit I was wrong about hidden votes. I don't think we should have them anymore, at all. I think hidden votes hurt the club and I think visible votes help the club. Worrying about visible votes leading people to vote based on who voted for what or bandwagoning or anything like that is petty really, compared to the damage I think hidden votes does to the club.

Visible voting is funner and brings more people in and gets more people involved over the long run.


Also, there's a good chance that we might be using multiple choice next year. This eliminates many of the complaints that people who wanted hidden voting had in the first place. Now, people can always vote for all their favourites, so there's no debate about people using their one vote for their "absolute favourite" or not.


That said, I think alternating as a "compromise" is the worst option. I'd rather even have all hidden votes all year than alternating. I don't think all people are as comfortable talking in any voting thread like they used to when there's also hidden votes every other month. Because that hidden vote mindset sets in year-round even during the visible votes it seems. It's a muddy, ineffective "compromise" and it's also complicated and unnecessary. So I think the only way to get more vibrancy back is to go to all visible votes, and if we can't, then we should just do all hidden so that at least it will be simple and easy for the year.

And our leader Tom agrees with me about disliking alternate. Here is a recent quote directly from WT Sharpe:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

...I have no desire to do another mixed year; that has proven to be more confusing than I anticipated...

This would seem to indicate that he wouldn't even give the option of alternating in this poll, and that he definitely does not prefer alternate for 2013.

However, I expect alternate to probably win anyway and I'll be happily surprised if one of the other two do instead. The reason being, with multiple choice, in the spirit of "compromise" (or hedging bets) some people who prefer hidden may also vote alternate, as may some people who prefer visible. And some who don't care one way or the other may vote alternate as the "one in the middle" to "appease" both sides without really caring themselves. And those "some"s may likely add up to the majority.

For these reasons, I hope everyone will consider NOT voting for alternate, no matter which of the other two one votes for.

[caleb72]

I agree with everything sun surfer has said.

I have voted visible only. And I'm feeling hopeful about a multiple choice vote to smooth over other concerns.

[dreams]

I don't usually jump in on the voting or discussions, but this time I really wanted to voice my opinion. I chose visible only. I also miss the teasing and fun in the threads when members tried to get their favorites to win.

It may take a while to get that back, but I do hope to see it again.

[Billi]

Well put, sun surfer! I agree with Jon that closed votings give the truer results, but the price is too high. There have not been more people participating in the voting, in the voting thread nor in the discussion thread.

[HarryT]

I prefer hidden voting. It's more democratic.

[Billi]

This does certainly apply for the big political elections (and it's introduction was a big step forward in the history of elections) but how does it apply here, in an internet forum?

[HarryT]

Because a hidden vote means that people aren't influenced by what they see other people voting for. It just seems a better system all round to me. But I can see that my view is the minority here.

[John F]

I picked "Visible". I really wanted the compromise of alternate, but it doesn't look like it is going to win.


Well put, Sun Surfer.

Maybe we could make this poll multiple choice.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by John F

Maybe we could make this poll multiple choice.

Er, this poll IS multiple choice.

[John F]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Er, this poll IS multiple choice.

[Hamlet53]

I would really prefer open voting. I do not agree that there is any real evidence as supported by the history of polling results that open voting produces a more “democratic” result. I mean actual statistical evidence instead of a gut feeling. I also wish that the alternate option had not been included in this poll as I feel it may win because people want to straddle the fence or look on it as a second choice whatever option would be their first choice.

[Asawi]

I prefer open voting. Or rather, I prefer open discussions about the books. It has been suggested that with closed votes those discussion would not be allowed, adn that would take away all the fun for me. I have already lost much of my interest in this book club beacuse of how this has been during the last year. As I have said many times when this has been discussed: "During vote"-discussions has sparked my interest in so many books I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. Making my TBR waaay to long... Hmmm... maybe I should go for "hidden" and stop reading the section altogether...

[Asawi]

Oh shoot! I didn't notice it was multiple choice! If I had I would have voted "open" and "alternate". Well, I hope it won't matter!

[WT Sharpe]

I just added bold and color to the line in the first post about it being multiple choice so hopefully no one else will miss it.