When you take to Twitter to ask your followers a question, starting today, you won't have to sift through a few (or a few hundred) responses. Twitter is rolling out a new Polls feature that will let you gauge opinion on any topic you care about.
Users can create a poll by tapping a new icon in the Tweet compose box on both the web, and Twitter's mobile apps. The company tested out this polling capability with a select number of users beginning at the end of September, but now the rest of us will get access to this feature, too.
Unfortunately, if you're imagining a rich Twitter poll where you can have five or 10 options along with photos ("Which handbag should I purchase?"), Twitter's not quite there yet. All you get is the option to construct your question where your tweet would normally go, and then followers can vote on one of two options below that (you can fill out what those two voting options say). It's very basic.
As people create and use more polls, it's more than likely good for business: It will give Twitter hard data that it could potentially use with advertisers. For users, it will be interesting to see if and how it changes behavior. Will long discussion threads disappear? Will it be fun for us average Joe users to share our opinion on celebrity Twitter polls? Between this polling feature and reports that Twitter will expand beyond its 140-character tweet limit, it's clear that the company is trying to evolve beyond a simple posting platform. But, there is some beauty and creativity in forcing us to communicate within those confines.
Are you excited about Twitter Polls? Yes? Or no?
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