I have two questions about polling:
(1) I can no longer find a button for “New Poll” or the equivalent. Has that function been dropped? If not, how do I start a new poll?
(2) If new polls are allowed, with whom should I work in developing a poll that I think may benefit administrators and moderators? I don’t want to turn this project into a committee design, but I would like to get comments from admins and moderators about their need for information, if any.
My poll question will be: Do you agree with Objectivism?
After defining the term/idea (the philosophy that Ayn Rand recorded in her formal, published writings, prepared speeches, and works of others edited or otherwise approved by her – but excluding her views on specialized sciences such as the psychology of sexuality), I would offer options such as:
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Completely, in every element that I have studied.
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Partly, mainly in the essentials she named while describing Objectivism on one foot (Reality, Reason, etc.).
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In many elements.
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In a few elements.
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Not at all.
When you create/edit a topic, you should see a line that says: “Click here to manage this topic’s poll”.
That gets you to the poll question/answer set-up.
This version of the software allows 2 questions (the only one allowed only 1).
SoftwareNerd, thank you for the directions. Following is a more polished draft of the question I would like to ask in a poll. Can you or other admins, moderators, or others suggest corrections or other changes?
Objectivism is the philosophy that Ayn Rand recorded in her formal, published writings; in her prepared speeches; and in the philosophical works of others edited or otherwise approved by her.
Objectivism does not include her non-philosophical ideas such as her personal favorites (for example, in art) or her views on issues of the specialized sciences (for example, the history of the U. S. Civil War or the psychology of homosexuality).
Do you agree with Objectivism?
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Yes, completely, in every element that I have studied.
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Yes, partly, but certainly in all the essentials that she named while describing Objectivism “on one foot” – in metaphysics, objective reality; in epistemology, reason; in ethics, self-interest; and in politics, capitalism.
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Yes, in many elements.
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Yes, in a few elements.
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No, not at all.
Burgess, A poll will give us an idea of where forum members in “are coming from” as an "aggregate", but will not give us any information about a specific member.
I can see that it could serve certain purposes, but I’d like to understand the purpose you had in mind.
My purpose is to do just what you suggested: gain an understanding of forum members in general, on this issue. I want to get an estimate of the philosophical nature of the audience to which I and other Objectivists here are writing. If a writer writes to A but his audience actually consists of B, then the writer is at least partly wasting his time and needs to redirect his writing.