Subject:
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Re: 2 New Polls
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Sun, 23 Mar 2003 23:46:31 GMT
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Highlighted:
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(details)
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> As usual, this poll doesn't give an answer that applies to me, not even
> "none of the above".
This is based on the assumption that the purpose of a poll is to establish
what a broad spectrum of people actually think or do. In reality, the
purpose of most polls to manufacture a set of data that can be used to
"prove" a hypothesis. This is achieved by a variety of means:
* over-simplify or over-complicate the question
* most responses are in support of the hypothesis
* use emotive/perjorative words in the question or responses to guide people
to the desired responses (push-polling)
* offer the poll only to likely supporters of the hypothesis
LUGnet polls demonstrate these "qualities" all the time. Indeed, I observe
the second poll appears to have taken the approach of over-complicating the
question and containing "guiding" words :
Would you consider someone who builds something exactly the same as someone
else on purpose without giving any credit a true builder?
The question is complicated because it combines a number of issues:
construction skill, design skill, and the morality of copying.
The use of the phrase "true builder" appears to be an attempt to influence
the responses. What do we understand by the meaning of "true builder"? The
implication is that a "true builder" is somehow more than a "mere builder",
suggesting that there is a distinction. Using such a phrase in the context
of the question is inducing the reader to make the distinction as being that
of design vs copying/construction. The question is clearly soliciting the
reaction "a builder, perhaps, but not a true builder" and hence the "NO"
response.
If one were truly interested in people's views, then the three issues need
to separated out:
* Does it take as much construction skill to copy as it does to build it in
the first place?
* Does it take as much design skill to copy as it does to design in the
first place?
* Should copies give credit to the original designer (probably needs to deal
with a number of scenarios: displaying, competing, selling)?
Finally since the membership of LUGnet is probably disproportionately full
of designers (compared with the community as a whole), one should also
attempt to factor out this influence with questions about the respondents
(whether they often/sometimes/never design, copy, construct).
New poll:
Q. Do you think that LUGnet polls are stupid, a waste of time and responded
to by psychotics?
* Yes, the people like me who respond to a poll like this should be locked
up for public safety.
* No, since I started my medication, my therapist says I'm not psychotic any
more.
Kerry
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: 2 New Polls
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| Sean Devolites wrote in message ... (...) "none of the above". (I regard my spare time as being when I'm not doing lego-related things!). The answers being, play the fiddle, read, garden. Kevin ---...--- Shopping Mall is back: (URL) TOWN PLANNING (...) (21 years ago, 22-Mar-03, to lugnet.general)
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