It frightens and confuses me when my anonymous opinions are aired publicly

dorkbar

Before I forget: Merry Christmas, everybody. And Happy Hanukah and Happy Kwanzaa, and I apologize for those whose affinities I've missed.

Not sure it's an issue that hasn't existed before, but I noted my forum ID and vote and the votes of others with their avatars to a recent poll were made public knowledge, which I suspect is the way it is now.

Isn't the point of a poll, if the idea is to get honest answers, to seek anonymous opinions? Otherwise, people polled might decide untruthful opinions would serve their interests better, or maybe some random answer would be fun. Maybe the regulations are somewhere in the forum rules I've neglected to read and, yes, I'm a doddering fool.

At any rate, seeking the truth is much, much better done with the guarantee of anonymity; I'm old enough to know that seems reasonable. Please advise.

ms70

I know some polls on other forums warn ahead of time if they are public and the poll creator has the option for public or private. Maybe they can make that adjustment to the software.

Merry Christmas to you too.

CascadeChris

@dorkbar said:
Before I forget: Merry Christmas, everybody. And Happy Hanukah and Happy Kwanzaa, and I apologize for those whose affinities I've missed.

Not sure it's an issue that hasn't existed before, but I noted my forum ID and vote and the votes of others with their avatars to a recent poll were made public knowledge, which I suspect is the way it is now.

Isn't the point of a poll, if the idea is to get honest answers, to seek anonymous opinions? Otherwise, people polled might decide untruthful opinions would serve their interests better, or maybe some random answer would be fun. Maybe the regulations are somewhere in the forum rules I've neglected to read and, yes, I'm a doddering fool.

At any rate, seeking the truth is much, much better done with the guarantee of anonymity; I'm old enough to know that seems reasonable. Please advise.

Were you around for "The great disagree debacle of 2016" when the forum switched over?

dorkbar

CascadeChris, I missed that. Was it a blockbuster?

roadrunner

I've seen the results of "polls" here in the old days where members purposely skewed the results to try and embarrass the pollster. It's a breath of fresh air to have some accountability now. I guess if you can't stand behind your opinion then don't respond to the poll. No one forces us to play.

dorkbar

Good point, roadrunner. Honesty is a good policy.

Shamika

@roadrunner said:
I've seen the results of "polls" here in the old days where members purposely skewed the results to try and embarrass the pollster. It's a breath of fresh air to have some accountability now. I guess if you can't stand behind your opinion then don't respond to the poll. No one forces us to play.

But if members choose not to participate in a poll due to a lack of anonymity can that not skew the results as well?

roadrunner

@Shamika said:

@roadrunner said:
I've seen the results of "polls" here in the old days where members purposely skewed the results to try and embarrass the pollster. It's a breath of fresh air to have some accountability now. I guess if you can't stand behind your opinion then don't respond to the poll. No one forces us to play.

But if members choose not to participate in a poll due to a lack of anonymity can that not skew the results as well?

It's certainly possible. But, I would think the majority of people around here don't respond to polls. And it's probably about the same % on non-participants that would vote one way or the other if given a chance.

dorkbar

Shamika, I think you're reiterating part of my concern. I'm not enough of a Gallup pollster to know wherein lies the truth as far as polling. I'd guess there's fun polling, and then there's scientific polling that's legit statistically, and they are not the same.

CascadeChris

@dorkbar said:
CascadeChris, I missed that. Was it a blockbuster?

When the new software came online you could hit the disagree button without being known and many were doing it to people they don't like just because they could. A few days later they updated the software to add the abilitity to see who hit the disagree button on posts and the "disagree trolls" scattered. Many of them hastily went back to "un-disagree" with all the posts they trolled on when nobody knew who was doing it. It was pretty funny. The point is that it's better to have things out in the open.

PTVETTER

I believe that one should always take credit for what a person does or says.
anonymous takes so much away from ones opinion. Its like hiding behind a vale .

dorkbar

Thanks again, CascadeChris. And, PTVETTER, I get what you're saying, too. This is an interesting issue for me, because it takes into account not just the idea of objective polling and its theoretically objective results, but also the fine line between that and what might be expected or hoped for on a forum such as this, where we might collectively believe we're kindred spirits, at least to a certain extent.

DNADave

Your frightened and confused and sorry if you missed anyone's affinity.

....good grief.

dorkbar

Ah, DNADave, what are you really saying? What does "...good grief." mean?

justcollecting

I don't understand why you think an anonymous poll would be more accurate. Whom ever contributes to a poll pertaining to numismatics has no reason to lie. Most of the answers are opinions.

"Ah, DNADave, what are you really saying? What does "...good grief." mean?"

I think its in reference to the mood of the country, We have been politically corrected to death.

dorkbar

Thanks, justcollecting. There's really no reason for anyone to lie to answer a poll, yet they do. I suppose the nature of the poll might make a difference but, again, I'm no statistician.

Justacommeman

I won't speak for DNADave but I think your title is over the top in the drama department.

mark

BAJJERFAN

@ms70 said:
I know some polls on other forums warn ahead of time if they are public and the poll creator has the option for public or private. Maybe they can make that adjustment to the software.

Merry Christmas to you too.

If you read the thread with the poll when you aren't logged in it says that the poll is public. If you're logged in then the results are shown as to who voted for what option/choice so one can choose to proceed or not vote. Very often in polls people follow up with a comment or reason in a separate post why they voted so you can sorta figure out who voted what.

dorkbar

If you're commenting to me, justacommeman, it's an homage to the Saturday Night Live skit, "Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer." Merely trying to keep things light.

TomB

Is it Friday already?

mr1931S

__there's fun polling, and then there's scientific polling that's legit statistically, and they are not the same.

This sounds about right.

Boosibri

Frightens and confuses...! The real world is a scary place.

ricko

There are polls and then there is pole dancing.... either one can be public or private.... both are forms of exercise albeit one physical and one mental.... Then there is the North Pole... and a telephone pole ...... whole lot of polling/poleing going on.... Sorry... weird mood this morning...Cheers, RickO

keets

if it bothers you to have your opinions and thoughts that are shared on a publicly accessible web-site viewed by the public, then the answer is simple. past that, we have a rule here which has been adhered to almost universally since I joined --- PM's are not to be shared under any circumstances. if that is the privacy you need, then perhaps you should employ the Private Message feature.......................exclusively.

otherwise, welcome to the WildWest.

TwoSides2aCoin

May the light shine upon us, wherever we are. Especially in the dark-fiber optic world of private matters.

Wabbit2313

Imagine the terror dorkbar would have felt when PCGS turned on the feature where we could all see who was disagreeing with our posts!

CascadeChris

@mr1874 said:
__there's fun polling, and then there's scientific polling that's legit statistically, and they are not the same.

This sounds about right.

Don't tell that to political exit pollsters

CascadeChris

Oh no. The disagree trolls disagreed about my disagree troll posts above. How disagreeable!

Justacommeman

@dorkbar said:
If you're commenting to me, justacommeman, it's an homage to the Saturday Night Live skit, "Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer." Merely trying to keep things light.

Ya that's pretty obscure to be sure. That skit must be 25 years old

mark

coindeuce

Are you celebrating the pagan-day tradition of Festivus, with the airing of grievances ?

jwitten

I disagreed with you... but I kinda which I coulda done that anonymously.

CascadeChris

@jwitten said:
I disagreed with you... but I kinda which I coulda done that anonymously.

It's like they think I care. And they usually disagree with something that makes no sense in disagreeing with. They out themselves lol

TopographicOceans

Wait until you find out what Facebook does - tracking your every move on the Internet

Swampboy

It's 2016.
We're all frightened and/or confused.

topstuf

@Shamika said:

@roadrunner said:
I've seen the results of "polls" here in the old days where members purposely skewed the results to try and embarrass the pollster. It's a breath of fresh air to have some accountability now. I guess if you can't stand behind your opinion then don't respond to the poll. No one forces us to play.

But if members choose not to participate in a poll due to a lack of anonymity can that not skew the results as well?

Yes it certainly does.....er......um... I mean..... COULD !!

topstuf

@TopographicOceans said:
Wait until you find out what Facebook does - tracking your every move on the Internet

That's why having a COMPLETELY fake FB account is so handy and fun.

TwoSides2aCoin

Everyones likes to play Hide and Go Seek online.