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Polling feature in the community board

Max1223

Love that the community can vote on specific ideas.

Here's another thought, what if this community board could incorporate a polling feature ala Facebook polling?

It's a great way to gather data to get a pulse on features, usability, etc…like

Do you actively uses the Zillow feature?
Of these 3 ideas under review, what is the one you most want to see implemented?
Are you using the Savings Plan?
Do you mostly use QS on Mobile or Desktop

While I know some of these answers can be gathered by the SW teams, polls are a nice way to engage community, have folks see what others are doing and using.

Thanks!

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RobWilk

I would think most people accessing the community would be accessing it from a desktop web browser, so I think the mobile vs. web would be biased towards web. I personally use -both- regularly—- on a laptop I'll use desktop, and on my tablet or phone on the road, I'll use mobile. There was a time I didn't use mobile much, but now I use it more often (at least a little more often) compared to a year or two ago.

Would these surveys be limited to paying subcribers (which I think they can determine) or anyone with a forum account (I think anyone can make a forum account).

Max1223

@RobWilk great question about paying subscribers…on FB, its not. Anyone in a group can create a poll.

From ChatGPT I asked "what are the benefit of Polls" (answers below) then I asked what are the problems.

I think the benefits outweigh the problems. On a community board, it reflects the pulse of the community at that time and knowing data will include bias, opinions and not always be fact based, one just has to take results for what they are.

_____________

From ChatGPT

Polls are a valuable tool for gathering opinions, making decisions, and engaging with people in a variety of contexts. Here are several key benefits of using polls:

1. Quick Insights and Feedback

Immediate Data: Polls provide quick, real-time insights into what people think or prefer. This is useful for decision-making in businesses, education, politics, and even informal settings.
Surveying a Large Group: Unlike traditional methods like interviews or focus groups, polls can reach a large number of people quickly, giving you a broader understanding of general sentiment.

2. Informed Decision-Making

Data-Driven Decisions: Polls help individuals or organizations make informed decisions based on collective opinions. For example, businesses might use polls to gauge customer preferences before launching a new product.
Prioritization: Polls can help prioritize initiatives, projects, or features by understanding what is most important or appealing to stakeholders or customers.

3. Engagement and Interaction

Increased Participation: Polls can engage audiences or stakeholders in a fun and interactive way, whether in social media, team meetings, or online communities. This boosts participation and can encourage more people to get involved.
Building Community: Polls foster a sense of belonging and involvement. People appreciate having their opinions heard and valued, which can build stronger relationships with an organization, brand, or community.

4. Identifying Trends and Patterns

Spotting Trends: Polls can highlight trends over time, especially if repeated or tracked over a period. This can be particularly useful for monitoring shifts in public opinion or understanding the evolving needs of a group.
Behavioral Insights: Analyzing poll results can uncover deeper behavioral insights and preferences, which may not be obvious without structured feedback.

5. Cost-Effective

Affordable and Efficient: Compared to focus groups or extensive market research, polls are relatively inexpensive and easy to implement, especially when using online survey platforms. This makes them accessible for individuals, small businesses, and non-profits.

6. Reducing Bias in Decision Making

Objective Results: Polls collect data systematically, which can reduce personal biases in decision-making. This helps people make choices based on actual preferences rather than assumptions or incomplete information.

7. Providing Transparency

Clear Representation of Views: Polls can demonstrate a clear representation of public or group opinion, which is especially important in settings like elections or organizational leadership. This transparency helps validate decisions and increase trust in the process.

8. Boosting Accountability

Holding People or Organizations Accountable: In political or organizational settings, polls can gauge how well leaders are performing in the eyes of their constituents or stakeholders. This feedback can hold them accountable and encourage improvements.

9. Measuring Satisfaction

Customer Satisfaction: Many companies use polls to measure customer satisfaction with products, services, or overall experiences. This helps identify areas of improvement and strengthens customer relations.
Employee Satisfaction: Polls can also gauge employee morale, which is crucial for fostering a healthy workplace environment and addressing potential issues early on.

10. Facilitating Research and Innovation

Understanding Needs: For researchers and developers, polls can uncover unmet needs, desires, and pain points, guiding innovation and product development. For example, tech companies often use polls to test features or ideas before full-scale development.

11. Encouraging Transparency in Decision-Making

Involving Stakeholders: Polls can encourage democratic participation in decisions that affect a group, team, or community. This is often used in corporate governance or organizational settings, where decisions are made collaboratively based on collective input.

12. Monitoring Public Opinion

Political Campaigns and Public Policy: Polls are crucial in politics for gauging public opinion on candidates, policies, and issues. This helps politicians understand voter concerns and shape their campaigns accordingly.

13. Improving Communication

Clarifying Misunderstandings: Polls can also be used as a communication tool to clarify certain opinions or misconceptions among a group. It helps leaders understand the concerns or misunderstandings that need to be addressed.

In summary, polls are powerful tools for gathering information, making decisions, and engaging with communities or audiences. Whether you're looking for feedback, measuring sentiment, or guiding strategic planning, polls can be an efficient and effective method for gathering collective insights.

RobWilk

FB polls are not scientific, and in theory 1 user can have 1 million accounts and cast 1 million votes (with some automation). X (Twitter) polls can be limited to paying subscribers.

Max1223

The example you provide is pretty unlikely! :)

Are polls unscientific? From ChatGPT

"Polls themselves are not inherently unscientific, but their accuracy and reliability depend on how they are designed, conducted, and interpreted. When done correctly, polls can provide valuable insights into public opinion. However, there are several ways in which polls can be flawed or misleading if proper scientific methods are not followed."

So yeah, I'm sure a lot of FB polls can be flawed…but again, its also about getting a sense of what the community feels in the moment. I've gotten good info from a couple of FB polls. Usually, the community in the groups are more helpful than not.

RobWilk

Rather than answering myself, we'll continue this ChatGPT says stuff:

Online message board voting polls are generally not scientific for several reasons:

Self-Selection Bias:
Participants in online polls choose to participate voluntarily, creating a sample that is not random. People who feel strongly about the topic are more likely to vote, skewing the results.
Non-Representative Samples:
The demographics of users on a specific message board are unlikely to represent the general population. For example, a poll on a sports forum might overrepresent fans of a particular team or demographic.
Lack of Control Over Multiple Votes:
Many online polls do not have strict safeguards to prevent individuals from voting multiple times (e.g., using different devices or clearing cookies).
No Statistical Sampling Method:
Scientific polls use methods like random sampling to ensure the surveyed population is representative of a broader group. Online message board polls lack this methodology.
Uncontrolled Variables:
Online polls cannot account for factors such as location, political views, socioeconomic status, or other demographics that scientific polls account for.
Echo Chambers:
Online communities often consist of like-minded individuals. Results are often a reflection of the dominant opinions of that community rather than a balanced perspective.

Comparison to Scientific Polls:

Scientific polls rely on carefully designed methodologies, including random sampling, weighting responses to adjust for demographics, and ensuring statistical significance.
Online message board polls are better viewed as entertainment or a snapshot of that community's opinions rather than reliable indicators of broader trends.

Would you like to explore scientific polling methods in more detail?

Max1223

I like Science, but for a community board, i think the quote below is more the thought, at least when I originally posted.

"Online message board polls are better viewed as entertainment or a snapshot of that community's opinions rather than reliable indicators of broader trends."

I'd rather have QS spend money on fixing real issues than setting aside time (money) to get to great data and analysis from a poll. Haha! Community polls are pretty much for free (this assumes polling is a feature of this board SW that could be turned on without additional cost, being sensitive to the new price hike!) and depending on the poll, might have some good info.

RobWilk

Idea posts basically are polls - if they let you, you could create an idea post for your voting topic, and get a vote count (if they let you). I wouldn't be surprised if they convert them into regular posts though. From the total vote count in an idea post, you can determine how many voted it up or down.

Max1223

Agree that Idea voting is a poll, but the way the data is collected is very different from a poll that can have multiple answers. eg.

QS as you know, is raising the annual fee to $XX, choose your best answer:

This was surprise!
I knew an increase was coming, but this exceeded what I thought it was going to be.
I'm considering other products ASAP
QS is still a good product even at the new price, though I may consider other products
I'm very happy with QS, the new price is fair and I'm staying put.

If I could only choose one, I'd pick #4

FB allows other to create new questions and I think comments are retained in the string. The poll stays at the top.

RobWilk

If that's what you want to say, you can say it without a poll. I like how 4 out of 5 answers are negative and one is positive.

I'd add 6. Even if it's got flaws, it's the only tool that does what I need and supports almost all my banks (more than any other), and at the new price it's still cheaper than any similar competition out there.

You can argue that I have free access, but at the same time I bought Quicken Classic for a year (last month) which I'm no longer using, and that was about the same price as a Simplifi subscription. I also tried several other products last month, so I did consider them.