Creating Polls

APopularityContest.com runs basic public opinion polls. Ask a question, leave some potential answers, see what people say. To get the best results here are some things to think about before you create a poll.

Wording

Is ths good pll? No. First thing first, don't turn off viewers with simple grammar errors. Second, don't lead viewers to the answer you want them to vote for. What good is that? It's also a little insulting? Try to make your poll as unbiased as possible. Think of as many possible answers as you can to see the full spectrum. Occasionally it may even be better to run a follow up poll using filtered results from first poll.

Bias Results

Know that your results may be bias. Stay away from poll questions that have a known answer. An example would be, "Did you take this internet poll using a computer?".

Sampling Error

How many votes do you need to really know? Are you just polling your friends, or do you really want to know what your community thinks? When sampling 1,000 random voters there is a margin of error of 3%. If you wish to reduce that number you need more voters. A common political poll usually requires 500 or more votes to really get a good idea how things are going.

Demographics

Where are your visitors coming from? If most of your votes are just visitors from this site you might want to look at the advertising page for this site. It has basic demographics about the visitors. Is the poll on your website? You probably already have a good idea who is visiting there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  How do I become a Cool Member?

A:  The easiest way is to start voting. Just by joining you get 500 points. There are several ways to get points, but voting is the easiest. Cool Member Info

Q:  How do I put my poll on my webpage?

A:  Simple. After you create your poll you will be brought to a page that has a link to your poll, and the html code required. Just copy and paste on to your site where you want the poll 

Q:  Can I edit my poll?

A:  No, but you can delete a poll if it has not received any votes yet.  Editing polls is changing polls.  If there is a typo that needs to be edited, and the site has a sponsor then it may be ok to correct as long as it is ok with the sponsor.  Use the contact page if you need to edit. Don't forget to submit poll information.

Q:  Can I ask the same poll question if someone else already asked it?

A:  Yes.

Q:  How can I add my favorite link in my profile?

A:  You have to be a Cool Member to include a link in your profile, and polls.  If you already are a Cool Member just click the edit your profile link. You may change the details there. Once becoming a Cool Member your default favorite site is APopularityContest.com.

Q:  How can a member vote more times than there are polls?

A:  Polls get deleted sooner or later, so it is possible to have more votes than there are active polls.  Check the stats page for total polls created.

Marketing Your Polls

If your are really serious about marketing your poll contact me. I can have an ad for your poll up an running in no time on Google, Yahoo, and this site. Rates will apply, but it's a lot less than phone polling;)