Push-polling (a survey that purports to collect information, but is actually meant to change the respondents’ behavior) is very clearly in the dark arts. It probably has a place in the world, but it’s not about rationality, it’s about manipulation.
Causing people to change their behaviour to your favourite behaviour by means other than adding safe input to people’s rational deliberation processes seems questionable. Causing people to learn more about the world and give them the opportunity to change their behaviour if they feel it’s warranted by the state of the world seems good. This post seems like it’s proposing the latter to me—if you disagree, could you point out why?
I admit a “coordination survey” sounds like it’s asking “who is going to do this (giving people the option of signing themselves up for something)” or “how are we going to do this” (what’s the next step) or “how much would we have to pay you to do this”/”how much are you willing to pay someone to do this”(Pairing people up/Patreon/kickstarter).
I think if it’s clear up front that you’re not asking for “information” but asking “who wants to do this?” then that isn’t being manipulative—provided the survey is appropriately marked “coordination”, or “signing up for X”.
Someone could do a survey to see how people feel about it, and/or what alternate names they would like better, which could be iterated into the next version of the survey.
Push-polling (a survey that purports to collect information, but is actually meant to change the respondents’ behavior) is very clearly in the dark arts. It probably has a place in the world, but it’s not about rationality, it’s about manipulation.
Causing people to change their behaviour to your favourite behaviour by means other than adding safe input to people’s rational deliberation processes seems questionable. Causing people to learn more about the world and give them the opportunity to change their behaviour if they feel it’s warranted by the state of the world seems good. This post seems like it’s proposing the latter to me—if you disagree, could you point out why?
I admit a “coordination survey” sounds like it’s asking “who is going to do this (giving people the option of signing themselves up for something)” or “how are we going to do this” (what’s the next step) or “how much would we have to pay you to do this”/”how much are you willing to pay someone to do this”(Pairing people up/Patreon/kickstarter).
I think if it’s clear up front that you’re not asking for “information” but asking “who wants to do this?” then that isn’t being manipulative—provided the survey is appropriately marked “coordination”, or “signing up for X”.
Someone could do a survey to see how people feel about it, and/or what alternate names they would like better, which could be iterated into the next version of the survey.