Revenge of the Polls: Strawpoll and YouPop
Story byErnst-Jan Pfauth
Ernst-Jan Pfauth is the former Editor in Chief of Internet at NRC Handelsblad, as well as an acclaimed technology author and columnist. He a(show all)Ernst-Jan Pfauth is the former Editor in Chief of Internet at NRC Handelsblad, as well as an acclaimed technology author and columnist. He also served as The Next Web’s blog’s first blogger and Editor in Chief, back in 2008. AtDe Correspondent, Ernst-Jan serves as publisher, fostering the expansion of the platform.
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Polls on Twitter
Some people say Twitter is a waste of time. I dare to differ, but of course there are plenty of ways to turn it into a time-wasting tool. One is Strawpoll. Everyday,Rob GoodlatteandDan Romeropost one of life’s most important questions on Twitter. An example:Better Harrison Ford performance: Star Wars (1) or Blade Runner (2) ?Followers can reply by sending:@strawpoll Blade Runner. I’m a replicant bird!. Yet what makes this tool earning the label ‘fancy’ is their website. They track the results in a ridiculously good-looking way:
Video polls
So Strawpoll gives a good overview of what Twitterazi are thinking about mr. Ford’s career, yet it feels like something is missing. Maybe the voters have forgot about the heroic performances ofRick Deckardin Blade Runner and are just blinded by George Lucas’ movie branding skills.
YouPop takes away this problem by offering video support in polls. So now voters can watch the two trailer to revamp the feelings they had with the movie, in order to make a good judgment:
YouPop co-founder Robb Knie suggested onReadWriteWebthat YouPop can also be used for deciding what movie you want to watch with your friends. You just embed an YouPop with two trailers on your Facebook or MySpace account so your friends can make the call.
Functions like that make me think that this rich-media tool defines the future of web polls. We want to be better informed, visually triggered and entertained, before we make a decision. Videos and pictures create a more intense experience which not only leads to more engagement (= better monetization) but will also generate some viral magic. Especially when it comes to the category ‘chicks‘.
To support the last statement: the most popular YouPop isn’t using any videos, justcleavage pics of Lindsay Lohan. How typical..
