This is more a thought experiment - I want to see if we can use the medium of polls, which seem like they have so much unused potential.
Idea 1: Polls In Spirit
You don't actually need to make a poll to have a multiple-choice questionnaire, do you? I can have as many options as I want of I instead give them in text.
Consider:
Q: You have been given unbridled access to a Republic Legion in the years leading up to The Clone Wars. How would you work, assuming you have the power of Hindsight?
Lobby the Senate to work with planets that seem likely to secede
Try to step in during the Naboo crisis independentally of the rest of the Army. Note that you risk your military commission should you pursue this course
Seek to co-opt the cloning process on Kamino, and warn the Republic military to give it time to plan
Do Nothing. The Republic had it coming.
The idea is that forcing people to type out their answers makes them consider it more, which should prompt them to back their answers up more, think more critically and ultimately create quality discussion.
Idea 2: Closed Polls
You might argue it's what we're already doing, which I'd argue isn't entirely true. Polls right now are mostly binary. When they're not, they tend to be very limited in scope. "Pick between these six characters" isn't all that different to "pick between these two characters thrice."
If we instead shift away from picking between options upfront, could we do something with a level slightly lower?
Polls are great as a way to get percentages of people who've picked an option. If we limit the amount of choices we give people, we might again get them to think deeper about their reasoning behind their pick.
This option carries a lot more risk inherently, because it's basically what we've been doing but better in some nebulous way I'm not creative enough to think up.
But what do you think? Can we use Polls better? Are you happy with how they are? Do you have any ideas?
I'd love, as usual, to know
