Poll closed in Politics

Villain

I posted a poll here and it was closed by Earthman. Now I know polls were disabled a long time ago because certain posters were posting polls every second or third thread, but Polls have been enabled again since the VB upgrade.

I posted a poll here a few weeks ago and 139 people voted. No mod at that time told me polls were still banned orclosed the poll, gandalf just posted this.

So why now has my new poll being closed, I think its a very valid question and it would be interesting to see what people on boards think???

Villain

Also there is no mention of polls been banned in the Charter??

_blank_

In fairness, Earthman posted this, on the thread with the closed poll.

Earthman wrote:

We let one through,unaware that the change to VB3 probably by default re-opened the ability to create polls on this forum.

I don't know if it refers to your other poll Irish1, but it seems pretty clear cut.

Villain

Why isn't it in the charter and why wasn't I informed I shouldn't post any more polls when I posted the last one?

Well in fairness Irish1, it may have slipped our minds after the last poll you slipped in.
Why didnt you tell us when you did that last poll(the one that we let go) then that the poll function was reinstalled unbeknownst to us, even though as you say you were perfectly aware that polls werent allowed anymore?

We're actually fairly busy people by the way moderating a busy board and take decisions to keep it running smoothly.

As moderator,I closed your poll and told you why.
There was iirc a sticky thread around the time that polls were disabled indicating that they were and why.The genesis of the reason is in the discussion on the rules thread as it was after that, that the Admins were asked to disable the function.

Polls may be restored at some point on the board when the moderation team decide that it is ok to do so and when we have discussed the parameters and rules for creating them such that it will not be possible for them to be used as a soap box or as a clutterage device on the board.
The board is far tidier without them in my view and it's a discussion board so really, it should encourage discussion rather than hit and run voting .
On a personal note I find it ironic that you are here on feedback giving out about the closing of a poll on SF's relationship with the IRA when the other day(and in your journal) you state that the board is obsessed with SF...

The decision on polls applies by the way to all polls of course, whether they be about the iconic nature of the black mongoose in the Fianna Fáil party,the size of the European wine lake or anything else, there is no distinction being made.

Nuttzz

I think the "who would you vote for" type poll was a valid poll, but do you believe gerry and martin are on the army council is very very subjective and contentious while people voting preferences arent.

Villain

But Earthman why didn't you or Gandalf tell me polls still weren't allowed when I posted my last poll??

All gandalf said was ummm I thought polls were disabled, if he had told me that polls were not allowed and asked me not to post any more polls then I wouldn't have.

The fact is no-one told me my last poll wasn't allowed, there is no rule in the Charter that says its not allowed so I really can't see why I wasn't entitled to post the poll.

As for it being ironic, I was simply taking a discussion from 2 threads where it was off topic and putting it into its own thread, if you would rather we continue to discuss this in the other threads then close my new one and I will take the discussion up again in the other threads.

IMO my thread and poll was valid, no rule was broken and I wasn't told not to post another poll.

Gordon

irish1 wrote:

IMO my thread and poll was valid, no rule was broken and I wasn't told not to post another poll.

But you understand now that polls aren't allowed on Politics yeah, its all clear now?

DeVore

I've got a question for you Irish1. We can even make it into a poll if you like

"Why does it always seem to be you that has a problem with the mods in Politics when hundreds, if not thousands of others seem to muddle through ok."

If polls are not allowed, I'll switch off the ability to create them for users then. Mods?

DeV.

uberwolf

DeVore wrote:

If polls are not allowed, I'll switch off the ability to create them for users then. Mods?

afaik it was only an oversight during the VB3 upgrade which switched them back on. This wasn't in the charter because something which was believed to be beyond the capabilities of users doesn't need legislating for, although afair there is mention of it in the discussion of the rules sticky.

My view is that if you can switch them off for users DeVore please do. - to return to the status quo.

Villain

DeVore wrote:

I've got a question for you Irish1. We can even make it into a poll if you like

"Why does it always seem to be you that has a problem with the mods in Politics when hundreds, if not thousands of others seem to muddle through ok."

If polls are not allowed, I'll switch off the ability to create them for users then. Mods?

DeV.

Dev,

I have no problem with polls being disabled, I also have no problem with the mods. My issue here was that IMO I didn't do anything wrong, going by my previous thread there was no indication that I shouldn't have posted a poll and the Charter doesn't state that polls are not allowed.

I post very often in the politics board and I support a party that many people have issues with I do report posts quite often because people post statement that are not proven and they offer these statements are accepted facts. The reason I started that poll was because Sand had said in 2 threads that I didn't counter his argument, I wanted to bring this discussion to a seperate thread and I posted the poll to see what others thought, I mean the poll could have went either way.

Gordon

irish1 wrote:

My issue here was that IMO I didn't do anything wrong, going by my previous thread there was no indication that I shouldn't have posted a poll and the Charter doesn't state that polls are not allowed.

Are you saying that the reason you posted this thread was to say "I didn't do anything wrong."?

billy the squid

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=181954&highlight=polls+disabled+politics

although nine months is such a long long time ago

Villain

Gordon wrote:

Are you saying that the reason you posted this thread was to say "I didn't do anything wrong."?

Well it was to discuss why the poll was closed, if you read the thread you will see that Earthman said there would be no discussion on that in the thread. I didn't understand why this poll was locked when the poll I posted weeks ago remains open and no-one said there was anything wrong with posting that poll.

Villain

billy the squid wrote:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=181954&highlight=polls+disabled+politics

although nine months is such a long long time ago

The second post by gandalf says

for the time being

bonkey

irish1 wrote:

My issue here was that IMO I didn't do anything wrong,

Given that you didn't mention getting warned and/or banned, I think its pretty clear that the mods didn't think you'd done anything *wrong* either.

And while its none of my business, wouldn't it have made more sense to first ask Earthman over PM why he did it, rather than making a public fuss about it?

going by my previous thread there was no indication

Several indications were just pointed out to you. Your objection/question seems to be "if polls aren't allowed, why isn't in the charter and/or just plain unavailable like they used to be?"

Its a fair question, but I don't see why you couldn't ask the mods themselves (maybe you did...I'm just guessing that seeing as you didn't mention it, you didn't do it), or in the thread in the Politics forum for discussing the Politics forum rules.....

<tinfoil-hat-conspiracy-mode on>

Its almost as if you wanted the admins to be involved...

<tinfoil-hat-conspiracy-mode off>

jc

Villain

Nah Bonkey the reason I didn't pm was because I have been doing that too often lately and Earthman said it couldn't be discussed in politics so I thought feedback was teh place to be and Earthman agreed by saying http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=2582204&postcount=5

irish1

irish1 wrote:

I also have no problem with the mods.

Well you are giving the mods the opposite impression, I have 21 pms in my inbox from you alone querying mod decisions in the last month and maybe 5 or 6 from different other people.
It may have escaped your attention, how many times you pm the mods of politics, but it was crazy.

My issue here was that IMO I didn't do anything wrong, going by my previous thread there was no indication that I shouldn't have posted a poll and the Charter doesn't state that polls are not allowed.

Well you weren't chastised were you for the thread and the thread wasn't closed, its just the poll that was shut down.
Honestly you are being overly sensitive.

DeVore wrote:

If polls are not allowed, I'll switch off the ability to create them for users then. Mods?
DeV.

Yes DeV that would be my preference also.I reckon as Uberwolf said it was just an oversight probably with the switch to the new Vbulletin that they were switched on.
They should be off at least untill the mods have time to devise a structure for their creation(ie a workable rule) such that the Board doesnt become cluttered with them again.

Villain

Earthman wrote:

Well you are giving the mods the opposite impression, I have 21 pms in my inbox from you alone querying mod decisions in the last month and maybe 5 or 6 from different other people.
It may have escaped your attention, how many times you pm the mods of politics, but it was crazy.

As I said above I know I have been sending mods too many pm's but I don't have a problem with the mods, I think in general they do a good job, I think most of those PM's were sent to bring your attention to certain posts.

Earthman wrote:

Well you weren't chastised were you for the thread and the thread wasn't closed, its just the poll that was shut down.
Honestly you are being overly sensitive.

I just wanted to know why, and you said I couldn't ask in the thread, so I asked here, and I explained why I thought a poll was ok, the other poll is still open.

irish1

irish1 wrote:

I just wanted to know why, and you said I couldn't ask in the thread, so I asked here, and I explained why I thought a poll was ok, the other poll is still open.

It was made perfectly clear in the thread that polls werent being allowed.The only new information I had to offer here was that the mods have lives outside of boards.ie and in this case let your previous poll slip off down the front page and into history.
If we had a special brain implant to enable us to automatically clear up all loose ends then maybe that would be helpfull, but my VHI probably wouldnt cover it.

If it makes you rest easier, if your poll wasnt there this morning and another poll on a completely different subject was there I would also have closed it.

uberwolf

I found reading this thread whilst humming the X-Files theme tune instructive.

Gordon

irish1 wrote:

Well it was to discuss why the poll was closed, if you read the thread you will see that Earthman said there would be no discussion on that in the thread. I didn't understand why this poll was locked when the poll I posted weeks ago remains open and no-one said there was anything wrong with posting that poll.

Ah right I see.

So everything cool now? Can we get back to work?

billy the squid

irish1 wrote:

The second post by gandalf says

I've presented the post that states that polls are being curtailed.

can you find the post that says that this restriction has been lifted?

Villain

Most certainly Gordon, back to work we go.

Billy I think I've explained my position well enough no need to take the discussion any further.

sceptre

DeVore wrote:

If polls are not allowed, I'll switch off the ability to create them for users then. Mods?

Yes please.

irish1 wrote:

My issue here was that IMO I didn't do anything wrong

I'm open to correction here but I don't think anyone's implied that you did. I certainly think that no-one's said that you did.

Villain

sceptre wrote:

Yes please.


I'm open to correction here but I don't think anyone's implied that you did. I certainly think that no-one's said that you did.

Well I took it that I must have done something wrong to have had my poll closed?

sceptre

irish1 wrote:

Well I took it that I must have done something wrong to have had my poll closed?

No, not necessarily. I suppose if I want to be picky or precise about it, it was something undesirable but there isn't necessarily a blame factor attached to that (and in this case there isn't).

gandalf

Ok at the moment I am around very little due to an illness in the family (I am spending and will be spending alot of my free time in hospital). But on seeing this I felt I just had to reply.

Tom disable polls please, they are just a means of the lazy to fire up crap on the politics forum.

Irish1 I am getting extremely fed up of your set my people free attitude. When I posted on that original thread I meant to send a message to the admins to ask them to disable polls, I forgot and now I see this crap here again.

Villain

I just wanted to know why it was closed Gandalf, as I have said if you had told me not to post polls again after my last poll or closed that poll saying such I wouldn't have posted this new poll.

Boston

You knew polls where not allowed, and you also knew that it was only a loopehole in the upgrade that allowed you to post polls. Despite it not being in the charter, you where well aware of the moderators position on polls. Yet you where surprise when they closed it. You and people like you are the reason why boards doesn't have a set down list or rules. Because some damn fool will think that they are the only rules, and if something is no there in the rules then it must be ok to do. If I posted a poll of politics and it was closed I may have asked why, not know the current views of the moderators, you on the other hand are well aware of them, and they where even pointed out again to you.

Mercury_Tilt

This post has been deleted.

Villain

Boston wrote:

You knew polls where not allowed, and you also knew that it was only a loopehole in the upgrade that allowed you to post polls. Despite it not being in the charter, you where well aware of the moderators position on polls. Yet you where surprise when they closed it. You and people like you are the reason why boards doesn't have a set down list or rules. Because some damn fool will think that they are the only rules, and if something is no there in the rules then it must be ok to do. If I posted a poll of politics and it was closed I may have asked why, not know the current views of the moderators, you on the other hand are well aware of them, and they where even pointed out again to you.

Boston,

I presumed that since the poll function was available that polls were allowed again so I posted my party poll and gandalf or any other mod didn't close it or tell me not to post polls. So when I posted this poll I believed Polls were allowed. I think that was a fair assumption to make.

pickarooney

I feel we haven't gone anywhere near deep enough into the reason why the poll was closed. I think irish1 should open a new poll asking posters why they think the poll was closed.

Sleepy

Don't worry about it irish1, it's all just a big conspiracy involving the PSNI, the SAS and the Admins. You'll be collected for processing shortly...

Villain

Sleepy wrote:

Don't worry about it irish1, it's all just a big conspiracy involving the PSNI, the SAS and the Admins. You'll be collected for processing shortly...

Ah not again sleepy I still can't walk right after the last time

BuffyBot

I presumed that since the poll function was available that polls were allowed again

And it got closed when it turned out it wasn't. Big bloody deal!

Villain

But it didn't get closed BuffyBot, thats the my point, after I posted my party poll a week or so ago the function remained open and no-one told me not to post a poll again. So what else was I to think?

Lemming

Mercury_Tilt wrote:

This post has been deleted.

Who are you and what have you done with merc!!!

Aieeeeeee!! Fleeeeeee!! The body-snatchers are here!! Either that or else they wish to re-enact that episode of SouthPark with cartman and his 80ft satelite dish probe .... Not good!


*ahem* cough* On topic, yes yes. Errr, down with polls!!

BuffyBot

So what else was I to think?

You made an assumption. It was wrong, move along.

Villain

I have but people keep posting in here, esckor feel to free to close this.

oscarBravo

You've a funny way of moving along.

PH01

Am I the only one who thinks that closing down the 'polls' options in Politics is a little ironic? it's like taking away peoples rights to vote!

And I know that there are some who are abusing the system, but maybe there is a way around it? Like how about allowing polls but they must be approved by one of the Pol Mods first?

mycroft

PH01 wrote:

Am I the only one who thinks that closing down the 'polls' options in Politics is a little ironic? it's like taking away peoples rights to vote!

And I know that there are some who are abusing the system, but maybe there is a way around it? Like how about allowing polls but they must be approved by one of the Pol Mods first?

How about the fact that internet polls are just dumb.

Irish1's last poll results would mean (if they were representive of the real world) that SF would have a slim majority and their major opposition would be the greens, while both FF and FG would be marginisaled parties struggling to get a few seats between them.

bonkey

PH01 wrote:

it's like taking away peoples rights to vote!

Sure it is.

Villain

mycroft wrote:

How about the fact that internet polls are just dumb.

Irish1's last poll results would mean (if they were representive of the real world) that SF would have a slim majority and their major opposition would be the greens, while both FF and FG would be marginisaled parties struggling to get a few seats between them.

Real world!!!, nah Boards is the real world everything else is just fantasy

PH01

mycroft wrote:

How about the fact that internet polls are just dumb.

Irish1's last poll results would mean (if they were representive of the real world) that SF would have a slim majority and their major opposition would be the greens, while both FF and FG would be marginisaled parties struggling to get a few seats between them.

I always thought that these polls are more a reflection on the people reading Boardsie.
And probablt you're right about the poll result you stated above. They don't tell you anything really. That is unless there is hundreds and thousands of Shinner sleeper cells ready to awaken at the next election - but we shouldn't worry about that as the Greens will be there to save the day.

So maybe it's time for Mods to approve polls before they go up.

mycroft

PH01 wrote:

So maybe it's time for Mods to approve polls before they go up.

I think the politics mods have the toughest job on boards*. If they feel that polls are a waste of time and aren't inclinded to moderate them (cause in fairness there have been a few really really really stupid polls (ah omnicorp)) You're asking to dump some extra work on their shoulders because you feel you're being disenfranchised.

Politics is a forum for discussion of politics. At best politics polls allow the users of the politics forum to do some navel gazing about themselves, and their views. Which is what meaningful debate is for. The polls are shorthand, and not very good shorthand at that. The debate gauges peoples opinions.







*Aside from after hours. Man they should make moding after hours part of some kind of community service.