Today we are rolling out a new feature that we think will make it easier and more fun to give and get feedback in the forum: the Yay or Nay poll. When you create a new topic you will be given the option “Ask Readers to Vote Yay or Nay”. If you select this option then YLF members will be given “Yay” and “Nay” buttons at the top of your post. As people vote, you and the members that have voted will see a summary of the results alongside the subject title in the thread list and on the topic page.

Some things to note about voting:

  1. Voting is for members. People who are not logged in can’t vote and they can’t see the results.
  2. Votes are separate from replies. You can vote without replying, and you can reply without voting. Or you can do both.
  3. Votes are anonymous. Of course, you can also mention your vote in your reply to let the author know what you think, but by default the vote itself is anonymous.
  4. Results are only visible to voters. Like most polling systems, you can’t see the results until you have voted yourself.
  5. Votes can be changed. You can change your mind and switch from “Yay” to “Nay” and vice versa. You can’t remove your vote entirely though. Once you have voted you are committed to saying either Yay or Nay.

When you create a topic that includes a poll, please think about how your title and post will be interpreted in the context of the Yay or Nay question. For example, a title like “Are these pants unflattering?” with post text of “I need to decide whether or not to buy them” may be a little ambiguous. Does “Yay” mean “yes, they are unflattering” or does it mean “yes, you should buy them”. Ideally, use the “Yay” or “Nay” to refer to the item or the ensemble itself, like Angie does in her Yay or Nay posts on the blog.

To see a Yay or Nay poll in action, take a look at the this topic I posted on the forum: “Will You be Using the New Yay or Nay Polls?“.

This feature is still somewhat experimental, so please feel free to give feedback. We expect to add more poll types over time, so if you have any good ideas we’d love to hear them.

Photog Role and Photos Indicator

While I’m at it I should point out two little features that we have added to photo uploads. First, there is a new role, “Photog“, that you can earn based on the number of photos that you post (20 photos over the last 30 days to earn the temporary role and 200 photos overall to earn the permanent role).

Second, the thread list now contains a little camera icon to make it easy to see those topics that include photos.

As always, if you see anything strange or have any feedback, please let us know using the topics I have created in the forum:

Enjoy!