Three rules for using polls in online communities

I love conducting polls in online communities. They’re fun, enlightening, and great conversation starters. Best of all, they’re an easy way for lurkers to start participating. Think of polls as the gateway drug of communities.

Here are my three rules for creating great polls in your community:

Keep it on topic

Fun polls questions like “Coke or Pepsi?” or “Boxers or briefs?” are OK, but the best poll questions are those that address the specific interests of the community. I recently saw a poll in one of our quilting forums asking, “How much do you spend in one trip to the fabric shop?” It was a simple question, but it targeted the common interest of the participants and kicked off a thread of more than 100 messages about everything from the best online fabric suppliers to electronic embroidery.

Make it accessible

Poll questions like “How bad are your allergies this spring? and “What’s your favorite Star Wars movie?” limit participation to those with allergies and Star Wars nerds respectively. The best polls are those that everyone can participate in. A poll asking people about the last book they read is universal, and can lead to an great conversation. But not all inclusive polls are good ones. “Do you own a blue shirt with white stripes?” is a poll question we can all answer, but nobody really gives a hoot.

Make sure the results will be interesting

How about a poll asking “Have you ever made a sex tape?”

Granted, there are a limited number of communities where this kind of poll is appropriate. But this is a real poll on Delphi Forums. Perhaps you are too modest (or sensible) to participate in this poll. But don’t you want to know the results? (For the record, as of this writing, seven people have answered in the affirmative.)

This is an extreme example, but it makes the point: The best polls are those that yield interesting results that the community can talk about.

Do you use polls to spur activity in the communities you manage?

Photo credit: hjl