This is a column about online polls. But first, I want to thank readers and subscribers of the newspaper who, so far, appear to be sticking with us even though we have cut back from five editions per week to two.
There have been some complaints, and several subscribers have cancelled. I understand completely. It’s hard for all of us who work here not to be a daily newspaper any more.
The Enterprise-Journal had been a daily paper for at least 80 years, and maybe longer than that. It was not easy to change.
But part of the change was designed to give us more time to work on our website — getting stories posted more quickly, and getting more information out there. We’ve done OK at that, but we are still a work in progress.
One regular feature that owner Wyatt Emmerich wants on the website is a poll, preferably about a local issue. It’s one more way to “engage readers,” inviting them to participate in the news instead of just passively receiving it.
We used to have a poll on out website every so often, and that is being charitable. I had not posted one in quite some time until the edict came down in May: Every paper in the company has to get a poll on its website every two weeks.
Unless something leaps out and smacks you in the face, coming up with a poll topic can be a challenge. So far, thankfully, I have not had to look very far to come up with ideas that might resonate with readers.
The first poll, which came out May 16, asked, “What should McComb do to stop minors from firing guns?” This was right after a teenager died in Baertown Park.
The five choices in the poll drew 304 responses during the two weeks it was on our website. By far, not even close, the most popular option was to consider civil or criminal charges against the parents of minors who are accused of crimes involving guns.
It got 174 votes (57%). None of the other four got more than 15%.
The poll really doesn’t mean much. We don’t track who participates. And I doubt that the law will start making parents liable for crimes their children commit. But it was interesting to see what people thought about the problem of gun violence.
Two weeks ago, on May 30, I had another topic I liked, but forgot to give the poll a wider base of attention.
It asked people how many named tropical storms or hurricanes would take aim at Southwest Mississippi this summer.
The results were disappointing: only 53 votes, far less than the prior poll.
The two topics certainly were different — a gun death that occurred here compared to hurricanes that might head this way. Or might not.
But I didn't link the poll to our Facebook page, which surely kept a lot of people from seeing it.
The results, for what they’re worth: 23 votes (43%) predicted we’d get two or three storms. Another 14 (26%) predicted four or more. Lord, please don’t let that happen.
The one-storm choice got 9 votes, while the “none” choice got 7. I would love no storms, but we’ve had good luck for two straight summers. That’s bound to change.
And now to the poll that came out Thursday and will be up for two weeks: Should McComb create a leisure and recreation district downtown?
There are four choices: Definitely, Maybe, Whoa Now and Absolutely Not. I linked it to Facebook and, in just one day, 52 people had voted.
If polls about local topics interest you, check out our website. You have to scroll down a bit to find it, and it needs to be move visible, with a little color. But it’s there. Engage away.
