I’m experimenting with posting simple polls on social media. Not the political or statistically perfect variety. I’m talking quick-hit, kinda-fun options that help me know my followers better and build community. This post shows how to set up a poll in 30-minutes or less on a blog or social media sites. I became intrigued when I saw how polls attracted followers in one of my Facebook groups. Plus, it was fun to weigh in and instantly see how my thoughts stacked up with others’. For authors, polls can gather instant feedback on topics of interest to book lovers. Which title is the best? What’s the best book cover? Select the best character name from this list. Alas, Facebook's polling app wasn't available for my business page, so I searched for inexpensive, easy alternatives and discovered polldaddy.com. So far, I’m pleased using the app's free version. Poll-embedded posts on my business Facebook page and blog scored positive feedback and increased reader engagement. Here’s how I incorporated a simple question-and-response set on my social media sites. 1. Log onto polldaddy.com
2. Create the poll question and responses
3. Adjust Settings Settings are at the bottom of the question screen, so scroll down to find them. I selected these free setting options:
4. Select style, size; Preview
5. Publish Link, Embed Code Almost done! From the dashboard, click collect votes to find links and embed codes for your social media platforms.
6. View Results Ahhhh… the fun part. Sit back and watch your answers sort themselves out. Enjoy a lovely pie chart or bar graph to share or use for future posts. I love adding polls to my writerly toolkit and hope you find them useful, too. I want to test polls on Twitter next and create silly quizzes for kids about my books for my website and e-books. A final thought: my polls are neither scientific nor statistically significant AND, like all good things, are best used in moderation. Please give the poll we just created a test drive, and let me know what you think in the comments section. Happy polling! We're all on this writing journey together. Please join the conversation in the comment section. How might polls work for you? What additional suggestions or resources can you add? Don't miss a post. Click below to receive this blog by RSS feed or email. ![]() Subscribe to updates about my books and receive a free downloadable mini-tale I wrote especially for the young at heart: Driving to Dillon: a Very Short Story of Love and New Beginnings.
3 Comments
1/26/2015 06:19:03 am
What a great idea Cat! Thanks for sharing this and providing step-by-step instructions!
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1/29/2015 11:12:27 pm
Thanks for this really informative post, Cat. It will be a wonderful source of reference.
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Cat Michaels
4/15/2015 05:21:22 pm
Eiry, I think tech gremlins are munching on your comments as You just popped up on my comment screen. Belated thanks for stopping by!
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CAT MICHAELSThe writing journey is a long one. And with all that social media and technology in the mix, it's easy to feel overloaded. To make it easier, I share angst-saving tips found along my way. I'm still learning, so please join me. Let's travel this writing journey and learn together. Join Cat's Readers's Room Team
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