Yes, got it but not explaining enough. Do we have to list all the poems on it for the poll ?
In the past we would use the poll for our "Car of the Year Competitions" and after a few years worked out a formula that would work for the member and the software we use on the forums to also give a air of tension and surprise.
Obviously a poem is not the same as a car, but the method is still the same.
We would have about 10 - 20 entries.
So the first poll was created to get us a top 3, from users voting.
Then the top 3 would go into a final vote.
We found keeping the results hidden until the end worked best as there was no influence to go with a trend.
And after 2 separate polls a winner was declared yeahhhh. . . .
I dont think Marks suggestion was to keep the identity of the writers secret Granny, I think it was to keep the identity of the voters secret. Where his poll showed just two options of men , and women, I presume the poetry poll would have a bullet for every poem , and then people just vote for whichever they want to win, and then the winning poem and writer is identified? If you wanted two classes of winners eg humorous and serious, I guess you'd have to have two separate polls?
We found that if you try and do anything with the word secret in it, it would back fire, so keeping it all public worked for us back then. So yes if you wanted to submit a poem submit it as the user you are. The if anyone found it had already been copy and pasted from google they would be disqualified before the vote / poll is locked in and created.
The Poll
The Users Names would be the vote options. (Not enough space to include the poem).
Users would not be able to see the results until after a time and date was set, this is the period of time you want to allow users to vote, too short, low votes, too long time period people forget.
When the time set has elapsed then the winner is declared !
its the forum software that displays the vote.
You can not find out from the vote who voted for who, and you cant stop a member posting what they have voted its just part of the territory.
I know your already thinking bloody hell can i be bothered.....
Well its great fun, and just wanted to help you along, in such away you can use the forum software to keep it in house.
The poll software is simple and basic its limited to its options and that's why its simple in its options.
Mark if a dedicated thread was created by yourself, is there any way people could post their poems to it without identifying themselves ?
No, sorry.
My Suggestion
Is run a competition per month.
Entries accepted for first 3 weeks.
Final week the vote.
End of the month the Result.
One entry per user.
I can make the poll if you give me the names, and when to show the results.
Once you get going its great.
I know its complicated right now, but its not really.