# Polls forbidden in Off-Topic forum?



## Quasqueton (May 12, 2005)

> By popular demand, off-topic polls (not posts -- polls) are forbidden.



Why?

Who would demand that polls be forbidden in an off-topic forum? I don't get it.

Quasqueton


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## Hand of Evil (May 12, 2005)

Well, I do report them as bad post when I see them.  Mmmmm, sorry.


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## Quasqueton (May 12, 2005)

> Well, I do report them as bad post when I see them. Mmmmm, sorry.



Why? What is the inherent problem with off-topic polls? 

Not that I want to post a bunch of off-topic polls, mind you. [I have none in mind, at all, actually.] I just am curious what the problem is that popular demand was to forbid them.

Quasqueton


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (May 12, 2005)

The "No Off Topic Polls" policy is almost as old as the "No Religion or Politics" rules. Why? Well, I couldn't say exactly, but I've definitely seen a bunch of off topic polls that just don't have any point at all.

Of course, I'm starting to think that the Off Topic Forum, itself, is getting a little cluttered with about a thousand Hivemind threads, even if only one has the 'official' title.


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## Hand of Evil (May 12, 2005)

Quasqueton said:
			
		

> Why? What is the inherent problem with off-topic polls?
> 
> Not that I want to post a bunch of off-topic polls, mind you. [I have none in mind, at all, actually.] I just am curious what the problem is that popular demand was to forbid them.
> 
> Quasqueton




General board rule and as Ankh-Morpork Guard said.


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## Umbran (May 12, 2005)

Quasqueton said:
			
		

> Why? What is the inherent problem with off-topic polls?




The problem is not with the polls, it is with the people.

I recall when the polling feature was introduced, before the rule was in place.  People posted off-topic polls like crazy.  The mods even waited to see if the newness would rub off, and the OT polls would slow down, but they didn't slow down enough.  They were severely cluttering up the forums, and so were banned.

I think there's a tendency to think of a poll as "not really a thread", so people will do it lightly.  And I think people feel it is easier to be funny with a poll than with a piece of fully-written prose, so when someone wants to make a commentary, they start a joke poll rather than write a post.  But as far as the forum lists are concerned, they are threads, and 17 different joke polls all spoofing one another isn't constructive.


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## diaglo (May 12, 2005)

isn't this a meta question?

edit: i mean... if you want to ask off topic polls and see if the mods will allow it, shouldn't it be in meta.
not this thread in particular


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## Dinkeldog (May 12, 2005)

The issue with OT polls is that when they were initially allowed, there were tons of polls that served no reasonable or gaming purpose; they cluttered the forum.  The moderators/admins have recently been discussing this with a leaning toward allowing non-mindless/silly OT polls especially with the inclusion of the OT forum.  To my mind, that means the Age poll is okay, because it actually serves a purpose, but the Wienermobile poll doesn't pass muster.  

We realize that this means that we have some grey areas that people won't like.  Some people won't appreciate the fine lines we'll sometimes draw.  Tolerance will also likely vary as the OT forum flood volume varies.

Also, this is subject to revocation by Morrus at any time if he starts getting overly annoyed.


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## Quasqueton (May 12, 2005)

Note: I am not asking this to defend the Weinermobile poll. It just so happens that this subject came to my attention (and curiousity) because of that poll.



> The moderators/admins have recently been discussing this with a leaning toward allowing non-mindless/silly OT polls especially with the inclusion of the OT forum. To my mind, that means the Age poll is okay, because it actually serves a purpose, but the Wienermobile poll doesn't pass muster.



So the Weinermobile poll is "mindless/silly"? I would think it has a better chance of serving a "purpose" than the "I am el-remmen" thread, or the "It's Piratecat's Birthday" thread, or the "The genie grants you one wish" thread, or the "Ask Brain" thread, or the "Bumping makes Baby Budda Cry" thread (16 pages long!), etc. At least an answer and/or information will come of the Weinermobile thread (for my use anyway .

Half or more of the Off-Topic forum threads are mindless/silly/useless. By intention. If no one complains about those threads, let them run. But it's silly for someone to complain about a thread just because it has a poll attached to it.

Quasqueton


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## Hand of Evil (May 12, 2005)

Makes you wonder if a debate is going on in the mod forums at this time?


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## Quasqueton (May 12, 2005)

> Makes you wonder if a debate is going on in the mod forums at this time?



"Ban Quasqueton?"

Just kidding.

And I'm not even trying to change anything. I can live by the no polls in Off-Topic forum without complaint. Heck, I've only just discovered the Off-Topic forum recently, and I have no problem with the silliness found in there.

[I am between projects at work, and so have an unusually large amount of time to "waste" on ENWorld this week.]

Quasqueton


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## fett527 (May 12, 2005)

I'd agree to let them in as well.  I understand why they got banned in the first place when off-topic stuff was allowed in General Discussion and the off-topic polls were out of hand, but now it seems pointless to not allow them.  Maybe allow them on a trial basis?


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## EricNoah (May 12, 2005)

The rule (or practice) came up at the request of users.  But as has been said, this was back in the day when there was no OT forum, and OT postings were allowed (within reason) in General (if you were around back then, you might recall that we would have to occasionally say "No more OT posts for a few days" because of the clutter in General).  OT Polls, for whatever reason, just drove a lot of people batty.  Someone would just post "Tastes great/less filling" polls and it just spurred tons of immitators. It did get out of control.

As Dink-man says, the situation is a little different now that there's a dedicated OT forum.  

Maybe there should be an OT Polls forum??


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## Darth K'Trava (May 13, 2005)

What I'd like to figure out is if they're banned, then why are they not disabled on the OT forum?


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## Darkness (May 13, 2005)

Darth K'Trava said:
			
		

> What I'd like to figure out is if they're banned, then why are they not disabled on the OT forum?



 I blame Piratecat.

Or maybe we forgot.


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## Umbran (May 13, 2005)

Darth K'Trava said:
			
		

> What I'd like to figure out is if they're banned, then why are they not disabled on the OT forum?




Because, in that forum, you can do an ON-topic poll, and therefore be off-topic?


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## Dimwhit (May 16, 2005)

Isn't the point of the OT forum that you post mindless, not-related-to-D&D threads? Don't see why mindless polls are any difference.


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## Temprus (May 16, 2005)

Quasqueton said:
			
		

> "I am el-remmen" thread




There is a point to that thread, hence my response in that thread (el-remmen in an old en world injoke).


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## Jdvn1 (May 16, 2005)

I always figured no OT polls were a desperate attempt to relieve clutter.

But clutter is what the OT forum is about.

I'm indifferent anyway, so.


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## pogre (May 16, 2005)

I wish the age poll was in General.


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## MonsterMash (May 19, 2005)

pogre said:
			
		

> I wish the age poll was in General.



I agree as not everyone looks in OT and the age demographic is interesting - and tends to confirm the 30+ average age of the posters here.


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## der_kluge (May 20, 2005)

I'll use George Carlin's argument for legalizing prostitution.

"Buying stuff is legal, and er, [having sex] is legal, so why isn't buying [having sex] legal?"

So, polls are allowed, off-topic threads are allowed, so why aren't off-topic polls allowed?


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## diaglo (May 20, 2005)

der_kluge said:
			
		

> I'll use George Carlin's argument for legalizing prostitution.
> 
> "Buying stuff is legal, and er, [having sex] is legal, so why isn't buying [having sex] legal?"
> 
> So, polls are allowed, off-topic threads are allowed, so why aren't off-topic polls allowed?




b/c not all of us want to be johns nor the professionals that service them...


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