Re: Reminder: Poll about restructuring options

--On Tuesday, 28 September, 2004 09:07 +0200 Harald Tveit
Alvestrand <harald@alvestrand.no> wrote:

> 
> 
> --On 27. september 2004 15:39 -0700 Dave Crocker
> <dhc2@dcrocker.net> wrote:
> 
>> On Mon, 27 Sep 2004 19:30:50 +0200, Harald Tveit Alvestrand
>> wrote:
>>>  The poll about restructuring options:
>>>  <http://tools.ietf.org/poll/admin_scenario_alternatives/>
>>>  is open until Wednesday.
>> 
>> 
>> The poll asks whether one has an opinion and, if one has an
>> opinion, whether if favors either of two choices.
>> 
>> The poll provides no way for other, basic, important and
>> logical opinions, such as whether both choices are
>> inappropriate.
>> 
>> That makes this a rather exclusionary survey.
> 
> In that case, you are in the "No, I do not wish to state an
> opinion" camp for this question. Your particular reasons for
> not wanting to state an opinion are your own, and well known
> to the IETF list.

Harald, one of the things one learns rather quickly when
actually studying either polling technique or the use of
pseudo-polls to manipulate opinion, is that the "no answer"
category of questions is very important, both with regard to how
it they are stated and with regard to how they are interpreted.  

To combine "I don't have an opinion", "I don't think the options
provided here even approximately represents my opinion", "I have
an opinion but am fearful about telling you", "this discussion
has been so confusing that I have no way to decide", I don't
choose to spend my time worrying about things like this", is
tricky business, however unintentionally.  Doing so with a
single question identified as "No, I do not wish to state an
opinion" makes it worse in some ways.   At a minimum, one should
be extremely careful in interpreting answers to that sort of
question.  And one should be equally careful in interpreting any
of the other answers if this option gets non-trivial answers.

These issues are, of course, among the reasons why the IETF
traditionally doesn't vote... or even conduct "please, everyone
should/must participate" polls.

    john

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