Please continue / update the discussion on whether polls should be private or public here.
We did have previous discussions and polls on this issue during DG1. My opinion is that the previous threads carry way too much baggage to continue there, it would be better to start fresh.
My position is to require all binding polls to be public except those which are not required to be private (the ones about individuals). My reasoning for taking this position is:
In the DG we are simulating a government where we the citizens are acting as the legislators. Every legislative body I'm aware of has "on the record" votes, all the way from the local school board up to the UN Security Council. Legislators are held accountable for their actions.
I have nothing to hide. I would never argue in favor of one side of a poll and then vote the other way to try to fool people -- if my position is changed by the discussion, I will say it has been changed and why. I'm quite willing to vote for the losing side of a poll in order to vote my principles, and I have nothing to fear from someone trying to use my voting record to gain an advantage against me.
When we have an election, a candidates voting record is one of the things I take into account. There have been times when I've been backstabbed by people who say they are in favor of something and argue quite strongly for it but then vote the other way. They are entitled to change their opinion and say why, but in some cases the idea might have died in discussion if there hadn't been that support. That doesn't mean that crossing me results in permanent damage, but I might support the other candidate for an election or two.
I also like to use voting records to find out a little about citizens civ skills, especially the ones who aren't very vocal in the forum.
One last thing, in a public poll we can see who has and hasn't voted. It's useful information to track interest in the game from the lurkers, and sometimes a comment can influence the undecided, if you know who they are.
We did have previous discussions and polls on this issue during DG1. My opinion is that the previous threads carry way too much baggage to continue there, it would be better to start fresh.
My position is to require all binding polls to be public except those which are not required to be private (the ones about individuals). My reasoning for taking this position is:
In the DG we are simulating a government where we the citizens are acting as the legislators. Every legislative body I'm aware of has "on the record" votes, all the way from the local school board up to the UN Security Council. Legislators are held accountable for their actions.
I have nothing to hide. I would never argue in favor of one side of a poll and then vote the other way to try to fool people -- if my position is changed by the discussion, I will say it has been changed and why. I'm quite willing to vote for the losing side of a poll in order to vote my principles, and I have nothing to fear from someone trying to use my voting record to gain an advantage against me.
When we have an election, a candidates voting record is one of the things I take into account. There have been times when I've been backstabbed by people who say they are in favor of something and argue quite strongly for it but then vote the other way. They are entitled to change their opinion and say why, but in some cases the idea might have died in discussion if there hadn't been that support. That doesn't mean that crossing me results in permanent damage, but I might support the other candidate for an election or two.
I also like to use voting records to find out a little about citizens civ skills, especially the ones who aren't very vocal in the forum.
One last thing, in a public poll we can see who has and hasn't voted. It's useful information to track interest in the game from the lurkers, and sometimes a comment can influence the undecided, if you know who they are.