VOTE OR DIE - July POTM Poll

[Reply #40 on:]

No, it's now "SpaceGoldfish fromWazn".

[Reply #41 on:]

About time, I was fed up with it fucking Peel's pages from the first time I saw it...

[Reply #42 on:]

Order has been restored!

[Reply #43 on:]

Edit the poll now or this competition will be a lie!

[Reply #44 on:]

A LIE!!!

[Reply #45 on:]

For some reason, I can't see the poll properly. What are the standings?

[Reply #46 on:]

That's the point.
The standings aren't shown until the poll is over so people don't vote just based on poll standings.

You can read the Rules here.

[Reply #47 on:]

I can see the standings.

[Reply #48 on:]

Yes, cause you made the thread.

[Reply #49 on:]

Shhhh.

[Reply #50 on:]

It's pretty close...the person leading is ahead by 1 vote.

[Reply #51 on:]

Well, we have 6 more hours

[Reply #52 on:]

I have a feeling it'll be SpaceGoldfish fromWazn.

[Reply #53 on:]

Who? The one in front, or the one with 1 vote behind? And who is the other?

[Reply #54 on:]

I think she'll be the one who's gonna win.

[Reply #55 on:]

I can see the standings.

Yes, cause you made the thread.

I don't think this should be allowed. Only moderators ought to be allowed to create the poll and therefore see the standings. We lesser PEELers ought to be all in the dark until the vote is revealed to everybody at once - otherwise the person who creates the poll could (and I'm not saying Josh would do this) start telling us who is ahead and who is behind, etc. Which would negate the point of having a blind poll.

[Reply #56 on:]

That's actually a point I've been thinking about before.
Sure, the election thread can be opened by anyone really, but the poll should be made by a mod.

[Reply #57 on:]

That's the point.
The standings aren't shown until the poll is over so people don't vote just based on poll standings.

You can read the Rules here.

Ah, I see. Good idea.

[Reply #58 on:]

I don't think this should be allowed. Only moderators ought to be allowed to create the poll and therefore see the standings.

Sure, that'd be great, but there's not always a moderator around at the time who cares enough to bother making a poll.

We lesser PEELers ought to be all in the dark until the vote is revealed to everybody at once - otherwise the person who creates the poll could (and I'm not saying Josh would do this) start telling us who is ahead and who is behind, etc. Which would negate the point of having a blind poll.

That's true, but a moderator could do the same thing.

[Reply #59 on:]

Not like the poll has to be made the second the nominating phase is over though. Normally one of the mods is around at least once a day.

[Reply #60 on:]

We lesser PEELers ought to be all in the dark until the vote is revealed to everybody at once - otherwise the person who creates the poll could (and I'm not saying Josh would do this) start telling us who is ahead and who is behind, etc. Which would negate the point of having a blind poll.

That's true, but a moderator could do the same thing.

It's pretty close...the person leading is ahead by 1 vote.

[Reply #61 on:]

REMOVE HER MOD POWER!

[Reply #62 on:]

We lesser PEELers ought to be all in the dark until the vote is revealed to everybody at once - otherwise the person who creates the poll could (and I'm not saying Josh would do this) start telling us who is ahead and who is behind, etc. Which would negate the point of having a blind poll.

That's true, but a moderator could do the same thing.

Moderators, we would like to hope, are more accountable than that. If they do stupid shit, they'll be removed from office (assuming [-mArc-] cares anymore, which I think he does).

We lesser PEELers ought to be all in the dark until the vote is revealed to everybody at once - otherwise the person who creates the poll could (and I'm not saying Josh would do this) start telling us who is ahead and who is behind, etc. Which would negate the point of having a blind poll.

That's true, but a moderator could do the same thing.

It's pretty close...the person leading is ahead by 1 vote.

She named no names - she's skating a thin line but I think she's on the right side of it for now. I'm not going to complain about her. Yet.

[Reply #63 on:]

Moderators are supposed to create the poll. However, so long as the person who does create it is reputable (even if impatient), I don't think it's something to make a huge fuss over.

But yes, keep the results secret until voting is over. Shame on you, futurefreak!

[Reply #64 on:]

For the record, I haven't told anybody who hadn't already voted anything.

[Reply #65 on:]

For the record, I haven't told anybody who hadn't already voted anything.

You shouldn't have told anybody anything. They might tell people who've not voted, or they might have fake accounts still to vote, or they might even have had the element of surprise totally ruined for them!

[Reply #66 on:]

The couple people who'd already voted that I've said anything to are trustworthy, were curious, and I didn't tell them with any motive of affecting the standings.

Still, I understand your concern. If I ever create a poll in the future I'll keep my big mouth completely shut.

[Reply #67 on:]

Still, I understand your concern. If I ever create a poll in the future I'll keep my big mouth completely shut.

How will you catch flies though?

[Reply #68 on:]

[Reply #69 on:]

Your beard has certainly improved.

[Reply #70 on:]

As I understood the new rules, mods are supposed to be the ones creating monthly nomination and polling threads, not only because they're reputable people but because they're supposed to be trusted to be around at the beginning of every month to run things. If they're not around to open things up then they shouldn't be mods for this. So far, Josh has been the only non-mod to open either (also the only non-Randi to open one since mArc relaunched this) and he opened the nomination thread relatively quickly (1AM Eastern time compared to 3am for mArc, the day before for first Randi and 5am for second Randi). As long as the poll's opened within 12 hours of the 1st by a mod Pacific time (last major section of PEEL) then all should be well and people shouldn't jump to open the thread.

That is not to say that I disapprove of what Josh did. He went out on a limb and he's ran this month well. I trust him not to finagle with the poll or toy with results.

[Reply #71 on:]

The only way to toy with results is to reset ALL votes to 0, and I think that would be pretty noticeable.

I suppose I did jump to open the thread...I didn't think there was anything wrong with it at the time. I figured since I was able to, why not? Instead of leaving all the work to futurefreak.

But if the consensus is only mods should, that's fine with me.

[Reply #72 on:]

I spend so much time thinking of funny titles, someone always jumps in before me.

Futurefreak is good with the thread-creating, though. ShepherdofShark is more the bureaucratic enforcer of the rules, and I go about cleaning the spam and clutter which occasionally piles up.

[Reply #73 on:]

The only way to toy with results is to reset ALL votes to 0, and I think that would be pretty noticeable.

There are others, Josh. There are quite a few ways to fiddle the results of a poll. There's even some (deliberately vague) information on wikiPEELia about it. It should be enough to get you thinking about how to alter poll outcomes, or skew them. I've so far come up with a half-dozen or so ways to rig a poll on New PEEL - and all but one have actually been tested, and therefore work. They range widely in their detectability, too. One method would only be noticed by the most suspicious and observant PEELers (so that's pretty much everybody then ).

I've thought before about creating some poll or other solely for the purpose of changing the outcome in one or more ways and seeing whether or not people noticed it.

Of course, if you can't see any other way to change the outcome of a poll than to reset all the votes to zero, that's good. It means we can all have confidence in the result when you open a poll to determine the best flavour of jellybaby.

Please note that I have looked at this issue purely for experimental purposes and have not actually changed the outcome of any polls - merely ascertained that there are several methods for doing so, via my work in the Trading Cards thread with the attached poll options.

[Reply #74 on:]

I suppose I hadn't thought of switching the options since that would also be pretty noticeable.

[Reply #75 on:]

The only way to toy with results is to reset ALL votes to 0, and I think that would be pretty noticeable.

I suppose I did jump to open the thread...I didn't think there was anything wrong with it at the time. I figured since I was able to, why not? Instead of leaving all the work to futurefreak.

But if the consensus is only mods should, that's fine with me.

Hey, compare what you did to Danny opening episode review threads hours before the episodes air. You were at least on time! And really, I commend you for going out of your way to get it opened.

[Reply #76 on:]

Time to finally close the poll.

Congratulations, SpaceGoldfish fromWazn. Not many posters can pull off a POTM having only been on the board only half the month they won for. You must have earned it.

Also, 9 people voted for me? 9 people are completely insane.

[Reply #77 on:]

I have to admit, I have kept an eye on this thread, but felt way too shy to say anything.  Until now!

I AM WINNING!  I AM THE GREETEST!  AND NOW I WILL GO TO BED FOR NO RAISON!

Seriously though, I am extremely touched.  Thanks to all you people who have made me feel welcome on here, and for being so goshdarnfuntobearoundthatistw hyIstayonhereuntiltheweehours ofthemorning.  

[Reply #78 on:]

Somebody deserved it this month, I'm glad it was you.

[Reply #79 on:]

Congrats, Goldy.