Do others find it confusing, or just unable to crasp the concept of expressing an opinion they ask are you asking a question don't they know what an opinion is. I express an opion so that others may coment, disagree or agree make a point correct a mistaken belief or tell me that I'm completely misinformed or just nuts. If I want to ask a question I would use the polls thats what they are for, so please if you can not tell the difference between someone expressing an opinion for others to shoot down or pat me on the back don't ask are you asking a question or what ?. Thats my rant for today thank you for reading.
Sometimes an author posts a question for which they seek opinions, and/or advice. But, yes, I do know what you mean (and sometimes I have found a poll that has then been duplicated as an opinion), I used to get a tad annoyed but now I just ignore the fact that the author may have been better off producing a poll. If I think that I can write something helpful or interesting as an opinion, I will, whether the author has placed an opinion or an opinion that should really be a poll.
I use the site to voice an opinion, post a comment or complaint or just generally let off steam. I dont think it is meant to be one of those pseudo-intellectual sites where we question the theory of quantum physics. I notice more and more people use it as an informal sounding board when responding to an opinion. Dont take the shooting down as a personal thing. Its just that anonymity allows the naturally bad mannered to show their true colours but 99% of the opinion posters are nice, reasonable, well brought up people who wouldnt insult you just because "they believe in telling it like it is". You just have to ignore those sorts of people and learn to sift out the chaff from the good. So if its on your mind, post it. The content of your opinion will explain if its a question or a comment and most people read it and respond accordingly. Life is full of people who dont read things, misinterpret your words, have knee jerk reactions, take things personally or are abusive but the trick is to gloss over all that and just enjoy being part of a cyber family.
Don't mind whether people use the opinions part of the site to either state an opinion or ask a question, but I know what you mean and agree it's not that interesting or helpful when someone just puts 'Are you asking a question or what?' since you can't reply to that yourself (even if you wanted to) as we're only allowed one post. The thing that bugs me a bit is when someone puts something like 'Don't know anything about this so can't give an opinion' - well don't put anything then, you won't get any points for it! Think there's something in the Toluna tutorial that says don't post stuff like that but often people don't bother to look around the site and find a few things out first when they sign up. Vented my spleen now.
Hiya Fifer gosh i was so amazed when you said about all the hours you work! ...I agree with all our wise little lulu says...and i agree wiith Linnet saying why do people put '''i don't know, i cannot comment''.... replies.t This is exactly what toluna says we should mark as not useful! But i have been guilty of doing it myself on occasion..I think because i am of the 99 per cent that dawn talks about, as wellbrought up, and i always feel I should make some response out of politeness , even if I have nothing to add, so occasionally I give in to that feeeling of needing to be polite and answer with ''sorry i dont know''. ...As dawn says, this is quite an informal, at times cosy,site, where there's little deep intellectual discussion, more things from the heart than the head. I agree with you thatnsometimes a topic could have been put up as a poll, but a lot of people dont look at the polls any more as they dont get you points, so maybe that is why some choose to do it as a topic, in order to get a response..it IS irritating though..
Hi the_fifer, the beauty of toluna for me is the fact that the members have been able to make it their own and that the site has a very relaxed atmosphere that works well inside the boundaries set out. Its best to overlook the little niggles at least for me anyway. I know what you mean though I have often though of replies etc how dumb was that, at the same time I have looked back at some of my own replies and cringed thinking how dumb was that. More than not grasping the concept of an opinion I get frustrated at people not even bothering to read the question but just replying to a title. Showing that no thought has gone in to a reply what so ever. It's excusable that a person can misinterpret a thought but not that they cant even be bothered to read it in the first place. xx lulu
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