Thread Suggestion: Best Answer Voting

Sandra Murphy33 said:I suspect he was just joking, but since he’s always so poised and formal, it isn't exactly easy to tell, is it? 🙂

(See, Sandra Murphy33!! This is why you should probably stick to avoiding those emojis altogether 😬 😛 .... )

I honestly thought he was kidding, too. So, should we hold a vote to decide if he was joking or not? And if we do, does Simply even get a vote in that? :nemaemotikonapasetimisli:

Honestly, I’m still convinced they have to be joking. 😁
I really want to believe that's the case,

(Though, at this point, should we just start placing bets? 🙂)

:no_emotion_set_possible:
😂

I’m being dead serious here. I think this is the right answer because it gives us a way to see who actually wants to show up to the polls but just can't find a candidate worth their time. Otherwise, it just looks like they don't give a damn about anything.

Aha...

Well, if things have actually reached that point, you can always just drop it in the comments section. 🤷
In fact, you could go ahead and explain exactly why all the responses were so poor; that might actually serve as useful feedback.

Sandra Murphy33 said:Aha...

Well, if things have actually reached that point, you can always just drop it in the comments section. 🤷
In fact, you could go ahead and explain exactly why all the responses were so poor; that might actually serve as useful feedback.

Didn't think of that. 😵 You're right.

Let’s clear the air on whether I was joking or not. I wasn't. Honestly, I'm just in a foul mood today—I think I overreacted. My apologies to my fellow hikers and the valley trekkers out there.

One more thing. As things stand, the trekker and I are leading the vote. Since I probably won't be hanging around the forum tomorrow, if it turns out I win, I want to pose a question about aging. I'd love for everyone to share how they envision a good life in their later years—can old age actually be good? Just anything regarding getting older that feels important to you.

steelridge58 posted something in the Comments section, so I figured we should probably keep the conversation going over here

steelridge58 said:I honestly feel like stretching out the window for posts and voting just ends up diluting the whole topic in a way that feels really messy.

The extension was originally just a suggestion that eventually became reality, and now we actually have some real-world experience to look back on.

Personally, I’m starting to think we might actually need to shorten the voting period because four days just feels like an eternity,
though I'm still a little bit unsure about how much time we should give people to provide their responses.

So, please, feel free to share whatever thoughts or impressions you have right here

(mostly so we can get ourselves sorted out before the next round kicks off).

After thinking it through, experience finally spoke up. It’s all about the data. 🧐

I won't be hanging out on the forum as much lately, so don't expect me to drop massive walls of text, but I agree—it feels like things have really lost their edge.

It might actually be quite useful if the original poster weighed in within the comments to share who they personally felt provided the right answer... It wouldn't be mandatory, of course, and it certainly wouldn't interfere with the democratic nature of the voting process, but I think it would be rather interesting to hear their perspective, wouldn't it?

Jonathan Brooks8 said:It might actually be quite useful if the original poster weighed in within the comments to share who they personally felt provided the right answer... It wouldn't be mandatory, of course, and it certainly wouldn't interfere with the democratic nature of the voting process, but I think it would be rather interesting to hear their perspective, wouldn't it?

It really would be interesting.

👍

So, I’ll make sure to remind the person who posted the question about this suggestion once the deadline for submitting answers has passed.

Question:

If absolutely nobody else bothers to reply to the topic question except me, does that mean I win by default? Even if I don't get a single vote? (Not that I could vote for myself anyway)

Nah.

steelridge58 said:Back when I was at the University of Chicago, we used to have this
"Philosophical Inquiry Contest" that actually pulled in quite a crowd back in the day. I’ve been thinking lately that maybe we could bring it back, though definitely with a fresh spin on things.

So, here is my pitch for a new theme:

Judging the best response
(to those deep, heavy philosophical questions)

The ground rules would basically be
- try to keep your answers short and punchy—you know, where you say a lot without using a million words.
Also, if you feel like someone else’s quote captures the essence of your thought better than your own words ever could, feel free to use that quote as your answer, just make sure to credit the source.

We’d set a seven-day deadline for submissions, and once that's up, we’ll move straight into voting and some good old-fashioned debate.

What do you all think? Are you leaning toward a "yes" or a "no" on this idea?

Hey steelridge58, some people have already started turning these into long-winded essays instead of sticking to the prompt... what if we set a limit, say 99 characters?
As it stands, it feels like you're performing at Eurovision with a hundred different acts and a song as long as a Wagnerian opera.

We already shook hands on the idea at the very start that there aren't any restrictions here, and honestly, since everything is running so smoothly just the way it is, I really don't see any reason why we should go changing a single thing.

steelridge58 said:We already shook hands on the idea at the very start that there aren't any restrictions here, and honestly, since everything is running so smoothly just the way it is, I really don't see any reason why we should go changing a single thing.

Well... I guess that means we don't have to worry about "writing too much."

I’m looking for some honest input here since there isn't a formal poll set up 😉 regarding those tie scenarios we're seeing more and more lately where two people end up with the exact same number of votes; I'm wondering if we should just stick to our old way of doing things where the folks tied on votes basically chat it out and decide amongst themselves who gets to pose the next question, or if we ought to implement a fresh rule where the person who actually kicked off the current round of voting gets the deciding vote to break the tie.

steelridge58 said:I’m looking for some honest input here since there isn't a formal poll set up 😉 regarding those tie scenarios we're seeing more and more lately where two people end up with the exact same number of votes; I'm wondering if we should just stick to our old way of doing things where the folks tied on votes basically chat it out and decide amongst themselves who gets to pose the next question, or if we ought to implement a fresh rule where the person who actually kicked off the current round of voting gets the deciding vote to break the tie.

Both proposals have potential flaws. There is always the possibility that they cannot reach an agreement, or worse, that both parties simply vote for one another.
If you ask me, we should just follow a specific order to resolve any disputes: first, cast a vote for the other person, and if that still doesn't break the deadlock, then move to a negotiation. That seems like the most logical way to handle things, in my opinion.

steelridge58 said:I’m looking for some honest input here since there isn't a formal poll set up 😉 regarding those tie scenarios we're seeing more and more lately where two people end up with the exact same number of votes; I'm wondering if we should just stick to our old way of doing things where the folks tied on votes basically chat it out and decide amongst themselves who gets to pose the next question, or if we ought to implement a fresh rule where the person who actually kicked off the current round of voting gets the deciding vote to break the tie.

The issue isn't the ties; it's the voting system itself. You can only vote for one answer. Anything else—like voting for multiple answers—is just an invitation for people to manipulate the results. It’s obvious some folks mark everything while others pick just one... you get the idea. Given how few people actually vote, the whole thing feels pointless. If there's a tie, it's only fair that both contestants get a shot at asking their own question. I don't see the big deal. 🙂

Right now, we’re sitting at a four-way tie

😉))

By the way, is there any way we could actually pick multiple options here, like voting for all the answers we actually like instead of being forced to just settle on one single choice?
Or, I don't know, maybe if there had to be some kind of limit, we could at least pick three?

Come on, everyone, please weigh in so we can figure out our next move, because honestly, Mark Torres14, it really bums me out that you're losing interest in participating in these Q&As just because the voting system is so frustrating.

Mark Torres14 said:The issue isn't the ties; it's the voting system itself. You can only vote for one answer. Anything else—like voting for multiple answers—is just an invitation for people to manipulate the results. It’s obvious some folks mark everything while others pick just one... you get the idea. Given how few people actually vote, the whole thing feels pointless. If there's a tie, it's only fair that both contestants get a shot at asking their own question. I don't see the big deal. 🙂

So, does that mean each of the current four people should just go ahead and submit a brand new question of their own?

Yahoo! We'd end up with four new threads plus four more to comment on, and the whole forum server would probably just crash under the weight of it all.

😁

steelridge58 said:Right now, we’re sitting at a four-way tie

😉))

By the way, is there any way we could actually pick multiple options here, like voting for all the answers we actually like instead of being forced to just settle on one single choice?
Or, I don't know, maybe if there had to be some kind of limit, we could at least pick three?

Come on, everyone, please weigh in so we can figure out our next move, because honestly, Mark Torres14, it really bums me out that you're losing interest in participating in these Q&As just because the voting system is so frustrating.

So, does that mean each of the current four people should just go ahead and submit a brand new question of their own?

Yahoo! We'd end up with four new threads plus four more to comment on, and the whole forum server would probably just crash under the weight of it all.

😁

The person who has posted the fewest questions up to that point should submit the next one. If there is a tie, the original poster should make the final call on the best answer.☕

I think questions should start with "What does ... mean."

🙂🙂🙂