Tomorrow a new feature will be available permitting simple polls to be created in a thread.
Each poll is presented as a single choice list. If you have seen Twitter polls, you will know what to expect.
The poll can't be edited once created, only removed. Also, a vote cannot be changed once selected.
The poll is inserted into a forum post using a text tag like this :
[ poll ] a unique code for this poll [/ poll]
They will be available to anyone and can even be embedded in private messages.
More on this tomorrow when this is released.
edit : The existing vote system that was only available to admins has been retired.
When I play chess, I play at
To create a Poll like the above, use the "Insert poll" link on the forum post page.
Once created, a tag will be inserted into your text like this :
[poll ]6D85B69599D93CEE08EC004ABC91189D[ /poll]
So [poll ] <token> [ /poll]
This can be removed from your forum post if you subsequently want to delete the poll. (It will be deleted from the server eventually if inactive/no votes.)
As the token is quite complex, you can create private polls and even message them around in PMs, but if the token is shared outside of your intended audience, then clearly the poll will no longer be private, as anyone can vote on any poll if they have access to it.
Normal moderation rules apply - inappropriate polls will result in threads being removed.