Comments on: Time Magazine Hacked, Proving Unreliability Of Online Polls

By: Michale

Michale — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:25:01 +0000

Actually, I wasn't thinking of you, I know quite a few people who feel exactly the same way about polls in general.

Oh drat... And here I thought I was unique!! :D

Give you a perfect example of exactly why polls are useless..

Polls show that President Obama enjoys a 60+% approval rating.. Yet other polls show that Americans are against every action Obama and the Democrats have taken since assuming the presidency, save one...

It's like I always say, polls are like statistics. You can pick and choose the data and how the questions are asked and pretty much create a poll that will prove whatever point you want to make...

Michale.....

By: BashiBazouk

BashiBazouk — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:44:19 +0000

The Ron Paulers must be really slacking to let someone else fix a poll. I'd think even this far out a major poll like this would be right up their alley. They must still be in a funk after "winning" every internet poll around but still getting a lack luster showing when the real vote came about. Personally I've always believed in adding as much false data in to the system as possible. Can't make it too easy to predict behavior ;-)

By: Osborne Ink

Osborne Ink — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:25:10 +0000

IMHO, future iterations of the web will bring us more accurate internet polling. There may never be perfectly accurate polls in cyberspace, but social networking leads the way -- and these blogging engines are slowly transforming into the next social network.

By: Chris Weigant

Chris Weigant — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:03:34 +0000

Michale -

Polls are carp?

Is that what's known as "carping" about polls?

heh. Couldn't resist.

Actually, I wasn't thinking of you, I know quite a few people who feel exactly the same way about polls in general.

I liked your example sentence, too.

-CW

By: Michale

Michale — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:40:20 +0000

Because their results should be taken with a very large grain of salt. I realize some might say that about all polls, but even the skeptic has to admit that some polls are more accurate than others.

At the risk of being arrogantly egotistical (per usual :D) I'll assume that you had me in mind when you wrote this. :D

I will admit that some polls are more lucky than others. But it's easy to influence polls simply by parsing the content of questions to produce the desired result..

Give you a perfect example that I just came across..

I never said that she stole the money

That sentence has SEVEN different meanings, depending on which word you place the emphasis.

With this kind of nuanced language, you can create a poll that has Stalin as the most lovable man in the world and Mr Rogers as Satan Incarnate...

Polls are carp....

MIchale.....

By: Elizabeth Miller

Elizabeth Miller — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:37:17 +0000

Stan,

That NASA contest was a real hoot! And, soon, we'll all be hearing about how popular the COLBERT has become in some room on the space station. Ha!

By: fstanley

fstanley — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:23:58 +0000

I saw this problem of "poll stuffing" when NASA ran their on line contest to name the new room on the space station. On line polls will not be accurate until such time as the pollster can figure out how to randomly contact people on-line. I am not sure that I want polling companies to have huge lists of email addresses but I guess spammers do it so our email information is already out there.

...Stan