Polls: Engage & Gather Feedback
Polls are one of the most powerful engagement tools in Outpost. They let you gather structured feedback, make collective decisions, and spark discussion — all within your community.
Creating a Poll
Moderators and admins can add a poll to any topic:
- Open or create a topic
- Click the Add Poll button
- Configure your poll:
- Question — What you want to ask
- Options — The choices members can pick from
- Allow multiple selections — Let members pick more than one option
- Expiration date — Optionally close the poll after a deadline
Each topic can have one poll, keeping things focused.
Voting
Members vote by simply clicking their choice(s). The results update in real-time:
- Vote counts per option
- Percentage bars showing relative popularity
- Your vote highlighted so you can see what you picked
Members can also change their vote or remove it entirely at any time before the poll closes.
Use Cases
Polls shine in many scenarios:
| Scenario | Example Question |
|---|---|
| Product decisions | "Which feature should we build next?" |
| Event planning | "What time works best for the meetup?" |
| Community feedback | "How satisfied are you with the community?" |
| Content direction | "What topics should we cover more?" |
| Fun engagement | "What's your favorite programming language?" |
Exporting Results
Need to share poll data outside the community? Moderators can export poll results to CSV, giving you a spreadsheet with every vote for further analysis.
Try It Now!
There's a live poll attached to this very topic. Cast your vote above and watch the results update in real-time!
Pro Tips
- Keep options concise — Short, clear choices get more votes
- Use "Allow multiple" for preference gathering (pick your top 3)
- Set expiration dates for time-sensitive decisions
- Reference poll results in follow-up posts to close the loop