Quote:
Originally Posted by Vikesrock
Please don't do this. This reflects poorly on both you individually and FIRST as a whole. The sponsor of the competition has asked for one vote per person and that should be respected. If that means that FIRST does not win the money then so be it.
Remember, WWGD? (What would Grandma Do?)
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There's actually another really good lesson here:
don't trust the results of stupid web polls.
You know the ones that newspapers and news programs like to run? Where they make up a biased or simplistic question, and then pontificate about the perceived significance of the results? And then usually fail to understand that some kid is spamming the results? (Basically,
this.*)
Given what's been reported in this thread about the Pitney Bowes votes, it's pretty obvious that all three organizations are getting plenty of scripted votes here. Like Wolf Blitzer used to say, "this is not, repeat not, a scientific poll".
And it's all for $9 000 USD. For that matter, what's the point of giving just $9 000 to one of three multi-million-dollar organizations? (Check their financials:
FIRST,
buildOn and
NFTE.) Certainly there are other worthy organizations for which this would be a much bigger deal.
The other voting page has its own problems—like requiring your registration in their program and your consent to disclose information to a third party (American Express)—but at least they've taken some measures to make the tally legitimate. And they're offering much more money to the winner. That's the one that the FIRST community should have its eyes on (every week for the next several months).
*In case that link dies, it's a Fox News web poll about the "real" goals of the Tea Party movement. In the lead: "Fruitless mix of racism, conspiracy theories", 89%.