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1. Embed this notice
   Evan Prodromou (evan@prodromou.pub)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 00:55:06 JST Evan Prodromou

   So, I'm going to pause doing my polls for a little while.

   I ask questions that I think will be fun to puzzle through, like "What's the best flavour of ice cream?"

   But I get a lot of replies from angry people who want to know exactly what I mean, what my parameters are, why there are only four choices, and so on.

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@prodromou.pub)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 01:07:45 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     Mostly, I block people who come in hot and heavy over a poll about trains or oatmeal or whatever.

     Sometimes I try to ask follow-on questions to let them know that it's supposed to be fun and thought-provoking.

     But I realize that there are a lot of different kinds of minds on the fediverse.

     I don't think I should be stigmatizing people who get upset by vague, open-ended questions, even if their first instinct is to tear into me.

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@prodromou.pub)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 01:12:56 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     I'd like to figure out a kind way to deal with these replies that makes people feel welcome into the conversation but still preserves my emotional well-being.

     I'll let you know how it goes!

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@prodromou.pub)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 01:19:08 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     Here are some of my thoughts:

     1. I'm going to work on a standard reply to share when I get this kind of reply.

     2. I'm going to lean more on Mute than Block for keeping my feed positive, at least with respect to poll replies.

     3. I'm going to ask people already in the conversation to help out. I'd like to open things up so it's more of a multilateral discussion. I will probably boost these angry replies to help with that.

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@prodromou.pub)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 01:21:07 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     • CartyBoston

     @CartyBoston correct

   • Embed this notice
     CartyBoston (cartyboston@mastodon.roundpond.net)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 01:21:08 JST CartyBoston

     in reply to

     @evan it's pistachio

   • Embed this notice
     Rui Seabra (ruiseabra@mastodon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 01:21:48 JST Rui Seabra

     in reply to

     @evan
     Oh, I thought of them as fun interactions and will miss them.

     Could it be possible those people were not mad but merely just not very polite?

     Text medium is very poor for emotion transfer unless one writes really well, sometimes madness is in the eye of the beholder! ;)

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@prodromou.pub)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 01:27:42 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     • Fifi Lamoura

     @fifilamoura those are the best kind!

   • Embed this notice
     Fifi Lamoura (fifilamoura@eldritch.cafe)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 01:27:44 JST Fifi Lamoura

     in reply to

     @evan I hope my "I can't give an answer that fits entirely into the categories but here are my thoughts" answers are okay!

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@prodromou.pub)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 01:29:45 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     • Simon | Síomón

     @Simonas they'll be back, don't worry! I'm thinking weeks not months.

   • Embed this notice
     Simon | Síomón (simonas@masto.ai)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 01:29:46 JST Simon | Síomón

     in reply to

     @evan sorry to hear that
     After >50 years refusing to answer any poll, I’ve enjoyed making an EvanPoll the exception

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@prodromou.pub)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 01:57:05 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     • Linux Walt Alt (@lnxw37a2) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}

     @lnxw37a2 I guess I should be more explicit.

     Some minds are more okay with ambiguity than others.

     That's great. We need lots of different kinds of minds. Neurodivergence is cool.

     I'd like to find a good way to incorporate more different kinds of minds into the conversation.

     How can I help someone who doesn't feel comfortable with ambiguity think through their response?

   • Embed this notice
     Linux Walt Alt (@lnxw37a2) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw37a2@pleroma.soykaf.com)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 01:57:06 JST Linux Walt Alt (@lnxw37a2) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}

     in reply to
     @evan That's really sad. I think people need to have some tolerance for ambiguity in these polls. I don't want to read through a paragraph explaining whether 'chocolate chip' and 'cookies and cream' flavors are considered chocolate or vanilla in order to answer a poll.
   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@prodromou.pub)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 01:59:05 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     • axel.

     @axeln see, I was thinking of it more as a call for response. Like, this person is having a hard time with this question. Does anyone want to try talking them through it?

   • Embed this notice
     axel. (axeln@norden.social)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 01:59:06 JST axel.

     in reply to

     @evan as for 3., my advise would be not to boost, but rather let it “fade out”, as suggested elsewhere in this thread.

     By boosting, imho, you would encourage that behavior (and reward with attention), while letting bystanders think you agree with the post (at least for me, that’s what boosting means).

   • Embed this notice
     Monica ?? ?? ♾️ (she/ella) (mlsc1209@mastodon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 02:01:20 JST Monica ?? ?? ♾️ (she/ella)

     in reply to

     @evan I enjoy your polls. It’s a shame that some people can’t take these polls as something fun and lighthearted.

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@prodromou.pub)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 02:01:20 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     • Monica ?? ?? ♾️ (she/ella)

     @mlsc1209 well, there are a lot of different kinds of minds in the fediverse.

     I'd like to figure out a way make this game more fun for more different kinds of minds.

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@prodromou.pub)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 02:05:11 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     • 🐙🐇🐝Pointed Sarah🐞🐡🐧

     @sc_griffith ooh

   • Embed this notice
     🐙🐇🐝Pointed Sarah🐞🐡🐧 (sc_griffith@mathstodon.xyz)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 02:05:12 JST 🐙🐇🐝Pointed Sarah🐞🐡🐧

     in reply to

     @evan on the one hand those people are obnoxious but on the other hand

   • Embed this notice
     Evan Prodromou (evan@prodromou.pub)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 11:13:52 JST Evan Prodromou

     in reply to

     • mlinksva

     @mlinksva Ha! No, I'm not talking about you.

   • Embed this notice
     mlinksva (mlinksva@mastodon.social)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Feb-2023 11:13:53 JST mlinksva

     in reply to

     @evan the handful of times I've replied have definitely come from a too literal, too serious reading of a poll. But hopefully absent of any anger. In any case, apologies, thanks for everything you do for the fediverse and the planet, and enjoy your EvanPoll vacation.