What's your opinion on "DU this poll" threads? Is this a good use of time, or even an ethical thing?

[newtothegame]

I question what we accomplish by flooding these polls. We're purposely trying to make an unscientific poll more unscientific? :shrug:

A "DU this poll" thread last night had 50+ reccs and people desperately encouraging other DU'ers to keep it kicked so that more people can skew the poll. What kind of message does that send about DU's goals and intentions? Am I misunderstanding it, or are we really trying this hard to mislead John Q. Public about the average citizen's views on issues? WTF?

ed for sp.

[slackmaster]

1. All Internet "polls" in which respondents self-select, are complete wastes of time

Other than for mindless entertainment. They have no validity whatsoever.

[xchrom]

2. We know the 'other side' swamps polls.

DU simply evens the playing field.

Besides more of the country more or less falls in line
With liberal views seen on DU.

IMO.

[elocs]

5. You actually believe that more of the country falls in line with liberal DU views?

Is this an imaginary country in your head because it sure is not the United States of America?

[xchrom]

9. Well there are polls that show the country is fairly liberal

And they've been posted on DU several times.

Now in a personal identity political context - some one may not
Check the 'liberal' box -

[elocs]

12. If this country is fairly liberal I see it no way reflected in elected officials

from the very local level all the way up to Congress. If people are unwilling to elect those who reflect the supposed widespread liberal viewpoint and who can act on the viewpoint and pass legislation then I cannot see how this country is fairly liberal.

[uncommon]

11. In my experience, most people are pretty liberal when you get them one on one and ask them

individual questions about the issues.

[elocs]

13. Unless people are willing to elect those who will legislate on those issues

then I don't see how being pretty liberal has much meaning or value.

[elocs]

3. If a poll needs to be "DUed" it is not a real poll.

Could anyone ever imagine Gallup coming out with such a thing and trying to pass it off as legitimate?

[CTyankee]

4. Internet polls aren't scientific to begin with so I have no qualms in adding my voice.

I know it's a bit stupid, but I do it just for the fun of neutralizing some RW bastard's vote...

[City Lights]

6. Internet polls are stupid to begin with, so I don't think what we "DU" to

them matters one bit.

[jobycom]

7. Long ago it had a purpose. Now it's just a Billy Idol song.

Way back in the early days, just after Skinner said "Let there be light," DU and FR were pretty equal in size, and there were fewer main websites people went to. So when CNN ran an online poll asking "Is Bush doing a good job?" all of the Freepers would flood the site and run Bush up to 80% approval, so we would flood the site and run him back down to... well, disturbingly high numbers, but still lower than otherwise. CNN would put the poll front and center on their web page, and sometimes would talk about the poll on the tellie, saying "This is an unscientific poll, but Bush is still kicking the crap out of those loser Democrats" (only a minor paraphrase).

So we at DU had to DU a poll to unfreep the freeped poll, see?

Nowadays these polls are all over the place and on minor web sites and on hidden pages of major web sites and everyone knows they mean less than the latest Sarah Palin Deep Thought of the Day, so no one pays any attention to them, and though I haven't watched cable news in about eight years, I don't think they get mentioned on the tellie anymore.

So, DUing a poll is just Dancing With Myself. Then again, even running one of those polls is, too. Or maybe they are Eyes Without a Face?

[newtothegame]

8. Ah...I guess that makes sense. I've only been here a couple years so missed the early days.

But yeah it seems pointless now, even if the Freeps are skewing polls. We know they're douschebags, why are we trying to keep up with them? :shrug:

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. The only purpose was sometimes to point out the unreliability of internet polls

If some dubious media company starts claiming their internet polls have any meaning whatsoever, then flooding them with votes all on one side might persuade them to give up. But really, it's more trouble for us than it's worth. The experts can fix the first 29 places in an internet poll to spell out their chosen message: http://musicmachinery.com/2009/04/27/moot-wins-time-inc-loses/

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

14. It was a good tactic for about three months, years ago

When the news organization online polls first started they were novel and thus heavily reported on on TV, particularly when there was no other available polling.

So it was probably worthwhile to slam all the post-debate online polls during the 2004 election.

Since then, however, everyone figured out not to take those polls seriously and I see "DU this poll" or "this poll has been freeped" to not be worth anything.

[Exultant Democracy]

19. You are 100% correct, it made sense when it started... now it's just tradition

[jobycom]

20. Dang you!

Took me a wall of words in post 7 to say what you said better in three lines. :rofl:

[pipi_k]

15. Stupid waste of time...yes....

Unethical?

I dunno...aren't the polls, in most cases, unethical?

Which isn't to say that skewing them in any way is more unethical...just that it all seems more like a hugely stupid waste of time than anything.

[newtothegame]

16. "probably worthwhile to slam all the post-debate online polls during the 2004 election"

See I disagree there. I don't see how that is ethical at all.

And yeah, pretty predictable as well; I don't think America would buy a 95/5 post-debate online vote split from a country that votes 53/47 or closer in nearly every Presidential election. There's an awful lot of us sitting on our computers at Starbucks after the debate, and not so many of the old white folks who would vote conservative.

[Wickerman]

17. This should be a poll n/t

[POAS]

24. I thought it was and am terribly disappointed..n/t

[SidDithers]

18. Given the divisions at DU...

DU'ing a poll has lost it's meaning. The Obama supporters and the Obama haters are sure to cancel out each others' votes.

Sid

[jobycom]

21. Love the sig line.

:thumbsup:

[TexasObserver]

22. It's a part of DU culture, and a damn fine one.

ethical, she-methical

[Spazito]

23. There is no ethical question when it comes to on-line polls...

they are meaningless whether they are 'skewed' or not. At best they can, if one is very bored, be momentarily entertaining. John/Jane Q public don't give a damn about on-line polls, they are living in the real world just trying to get through the day/week/month.