Do you like the voting booth?

WOW I didn't realize my vote counted that much!! I was the first to vote on this and when I looked here it said 1vote 100%! WOW!

well, i lied, i don't actually check the replies weekly, but it is one of my favorite features anyway ... keep the voting booth!

i'm always curious about what the question is going to be and low and behold they always have a new one. :) give you credit for coming up with a new one week after week.

It depends on the question whether I check it often. I think it's fun to read other's idea's FP

I always vote, and always check it several times. But rarely post anything about my vote.

There doesn't seem to be a voting catagory that applies to my thinking on this topic.

First, I think this is a good feature. Don't eliminate it.

Second, I like to see what my fellow DG members think about things. I read the Poll at least once a week.

Third, I think the questions are usually good ones.

But, fourth, because I am an urban gardener, some of the questions don't apply to me.

Thus, fifth, I vote and comment when the question does fit my circumstances.

Adam.

I'm sort of like Adam. I don't ususally make any comments, but I do vote if I can find an answer close to my opinion of feelings.
I do think it is a good feature and hope you keep it. I am suprised that so few people vote. I really expected it to be much more popular.
EvaMae

Not that it's any big secret, but in case anyone was wondering how the poll both got started: Dave designed it many moons ago, we have one general rule: we steer clear of controversial topics that could cause hard feelings.

There's nothing scientific about our approach - I usually get an "epiphany" two or three times a year and think up a bunch of questions I'd love to ask y'all if you were sitting at my kitchen table, or out on the deck with me.

I go through the old questions to make sure the new ones aren't too redundant, then I send my ideas to Trish. She tosses in her own ideas (and nixes the goofiest of mine; everyone should thank her profusely for doing that!) Between us, we generate several possible responses to each question, and add them to a holding queue, where they wait their turn to show up on Sunday night.

We try our best to come up with a wide variety of questions, but our biases surely come out (such as the lack of city gardening questions :) Occasionally I slip in a "mini-survey" type question, just to check out everyone's take on some aspect or feature of DG. Like this week's question ;o)

So if you have any ideas, feel free to toss 'em our way; we can always use more ideas!

Evamae, the number of responses is generally trending upward, especially since Dave opened it to non-subscribing members, too. The weeks when the question kind of just "hangs there" I figure it was a dud, or we're all too busy gardening to give it much thought. Other times, the pollbooth question takes on a life of its own, and it's fun to watch the interaction when that happens :)

I don't always vote but I certainly enjoy this feature and hope that you keep it!

From what I can figure out,the pollbooth is one of the first places a new member finds.I've seen quite a few newbies take the plunge and post here when the other forums may be a little overwhelming.

I don't always post a response,but I nearly always vote and read results. I like the pollbooth.It tells me more about my neighbors here in the Garden.

I also like the pollbooth, vote about half the time, and comment maybe 1/3 of those times. But I am always amazed at how many people vote different than I do. I had wondered if and how we could propose new questions, and now we all know. Thanks :)

How about a designated place where we can propose upcoming votes? That way urban gardeners (not to mention other types of gardeners) can put in their ideas and get new ones!

Have it like a "locked forum" like the PDB photos, that way the proposed poll questions won't start a life of their own ahead of time ;D

I look forward to seeing the new question every Sunday. I always vote..but don't always post my reasons why I voted as I did. I always read it the replies..
Cheers,
Carol

I really like this forum.
Whenever I can, then I certainly do vote, and when I vote, I say why.
I would like to suggest the one, or the other type of questions which newby "gardeners" like myself would maybe help, and help to hear how much weight other real gardeners put on these, e.g.

a) Do you check your soil?,
1. Always, 2. Sometimes, 3. Never, 4. Check my soil? Please explain!!

b) It's claimed that flowers should be planted due to their colours (opposites on a colour spectrum):
1. This is important to me, always, 2. I plant mainly flowers of the same colour together, 3. I plant wherever I think the plant looks good, 4. Spectrum? Isn't that a ghost?

c) Do you plant your plants in the soil which is required for their best growth, e.g. Hydrangias in acidic etc.
1. Always, 2. Sometimes, 3. I don't care, 4. Isn't dirt dirt?

d) Do you plant according to light and shade e.g. Hostas ONLY in shade etc?
1. Always, 2. When I can, 3. I don't know, 4. I'm in the dark on this question.

e) Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?
1. With Silverbells, 2. And Cockleshells, 3. And Wintermoor drunk in the snow ;-)

Had to have a wee laff at the end folks!!

Some of the questions have gone above the newby gardener so I think that they should be centred, (even if only once per month), on the complete prunes such as myself, who doesn't know the difference between Freezing and Fresias.

I really like it nevertheless (long word that).


Wintermoor

I always brace myself for the punchline at the end of Wintermoor's posts.

He never disappoints.

Adam.

Wonder what became of the pretty maids all in a row?

They were with me in the snow ;-)


Wintermoor

Some cold people then, but fortunately feeling no pain ;)

This is a feature I enjoy and hope you retain.
I love your questions Wintermoor and agree with Aotearoa that there isn't always an option that fits - and that tends to put me off joining in. This time for example I fall somewhere between questions one and two but can't say that either fits. When that happens I spend ages trying to decide and then end up not voting at all (hopeless decision maker with a lack of time LOL). Perhaps there could be an 'other' box more frequently, which would encourage the airing of even more points of view?

That's an interesting observation - thanks!

It seems when we've included an "other" option, people will choose it, but not necessarily comment on why they chose it. Hmmmm. But I'll keep this in mind as I review the queued-up questions and responses - we'll see what happens!

Perhaps 'other - please tell us your view' or something similar might encourage people to share........
or then again......LOL