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Twitter is a virtual worldwide billboard where you can tell the world exactly what you’re thinking. Except if you don’t have many followers, then only a few people may be listening to what you have to say.
You now have a new way to make your opinion count: Twitter Polls. This feature lets you vote within tweets and see how other people voted too. You can create Twitter polls to get people’s opinions on topics.
You may have seen polls appear in your Twitter stream and wondered what they were and how they work. You may have wondered whether your information would be shared with the account that posted the poll. You may have wondered whether you can create a Twitter poll and whether it costs money to use this service.
All About Twitter Polls
Twitter is now allowing its users to create polls within tweets. Creating and voting in polls is free.
Twitter polls are currently limited to two possible answers and are open for 24 hours. After the poll is closed, poll results are shown in the tweet.
https://youtu.be/cLTS7MEyeAs
Voting in Twitter Polls
When you see a Twitter poll in your stream, feel free to vote your opinion. Click on your choice then click the Vote button. You can only vote in a poll once from your Twitter account.
You can see how much time is left in the poll and how many people have voted so far.
After you vote in a Twitter poll you can see the results and learn how others have voted. When the 24-hour time period has expired and the poll has closed you can view the results of the poll, even if you didn’t vote in it.
Let us know in our #poll. Do you prefer singles or doubles when playing #racquetball? 
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— USARacquetball (@usaracquetball) November 4, 2015
Don’t see any Twitter polls in your stream? Search #TwitterPolls or #polls. You can vote in polls and see what people are asking about.
Privacy
Your vote and account information are kept private by Twitter.
From the Twitter blog:
“When you vote in a poll, your participation is not shown to others: neither the poll creator nor other participants can see who has voted or how they voted.”
For example, if you secretly support a political candidate you can vote for them in a Twitter poll without fear of discovery. Your account information won’t be shared with that candidate as a way for them to raise money or change your mind!
How to Create a Twitter Poll
Anyone can create a Twitter poll. Hey, it’s free so why not?
You can poll people on Twitter about anything from your business to sports plays to reality TV shows to political debates. Find out what others are thinking about topics that matter to you.
You can create polls using Twitter using your computer and on the Twitter app for your phone or tablet.
To create a Twitter poll:
• Open the compose box on Twitter and choose the Add Poll icon
• Type in your question. You can use up to 17 characters for your question.
• Type in the two answer choices. You can use up to 20 characters in each answer.
• Click Tweet to send out your Twitter poll to your followers.
Pinning Your Poll to Your Twitter Account
You can help people find your poll by pinning your tweet to your account. Twitter streams move quickly and you don’t want your poll to be forgotten quickly.
Pin your poll to the top of your Twitter account to increase its visibility.
Learn how to pin a tweet to the top of your Twitter account in => How to Make Your Twitter Profile More Appealing in 1 Simple Step
For Bloggers – Embed Twitter Polls in Your Posts
Bloggers can use Twitter polls to get feedback on posts and opinions on article topics. You can increase engagement by embedding a Twitter poll in your post. You’ll get more votes for your poll and may even get more Twitter followers.
To embed a tweet in your blog post, click the three-dot icon in the lower right corner of the tweet and choose Embed Tweet.
Copy the embed code and paste it into your article. After the poll is over, the embedded tweet will show the poll results in your article.
Your readers may return to your article later to learn the results of your Twitter poll.
Your Thoughts
Have you ever voted in a Twitter poll? Will you be creating Twitter polls? Are you a fan of Twitter polls?
Vote in this Twitter poll, then share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
Do you like Twitter polls? Vote now! #Twitterpolls
— CarolynNicanderMohr (@wonderoftech) November 12, 2015
Thanks for this Carolyn! For the life of me I never noticed this option before!
Now to think of a good question or two! 🙂
Lori
Hi Lori, Twitter polls are brand new and not that many people even know about them. You’re not alone in this being news to you. But someday Twitter polls might become very common.
Twitter polls are fascinating, whether you’ve created them, are voting in them or just looking at results. I like seeing what people are asking about.
I hope you find some interesting polls, Lori, and maybe create some of your own!
Hey Carolyn,
I did make a poll already 🙂 Now to check and see if anyone voted!
Hey Carolyn,
Well I guess Twitter is trying to keep up with some of the other sites so now they’ve included polls. Until I read this post I wasn’t aware of them so just means I haven’t run across anyone sharing a poll yet.
I’ll do an occasional survey with my email list but other than that I never really put any together myself but you just never know. I might get a wild hair and want to know other’s opinions.
Thanks for this introduction and I’m going to be on the lookout more now.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Yes, Twitter polls can be very effective to find out others’ opinions, increase engagement, and bring attention to your brand. You may even gain Twitter followers if others share your poll.
I hope you enjoy using Twitter polls, Adrienne!
Jerry has to study this more.
Hi Jerry, Yes, you can study Twitter polls by searching for #TwitterPolls on Twitter. Or click the link in the article above that will take you right to that search on Twitter.
Check out the results of The Wonder of Tech poll on Twitter Polls. Looks like Twitter polls are very popular with Wonder of Tech readers!
Hello Carolyn,
This is all new to me. I didn’t know Twitter allowed you to do polls. I will certainly be trying this feature out. Embedding your polls is definitely a great idea. This is an excellent way to engage your audience. Yes, Twitter does move fast and tweets get lost quickly. I like the idea of pinning your polls. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Hi Maketta, Yes, Twitter polls can get more attention when they’re seen by more people. You’re right, Twitter streams move quickly so you want to be sure that your poll is seen by as many people as possible.
By pinning your poll to the top of your Twitter account and embedding your poll on your website, you can increase its exposure.
I do believe Twitter polls can be a very effective tool for businesses and bloggers. Getting the opinion of others on Twitter can be very useful and help guide you in future decisions.
Thanks so much for stopping by and for your comment, Maketta!
Hey Carolyn,
I have been seeing these twitter polls around and not really taking any notice of them. So when I saw this post I jumped at the chance for information. And so glad I did.
I love the info on pinning tweets and embedding polls into our blogs – very useful. There is nothing worse than deciding on trying something new and having to figure out how to use it first. Now my mind is wondering what poll I am going to do and how to use this to my advantage. Thanks for such an informative post.
Rachel.
Hi Rachel, Yes, Twitter polls are a lot of fun, but they can disappear in an instant as Twitter streams can be very busy. You can embed your Twitter poll on your website and pin it to the top of your Twitter profile to get more votes.
I hope you have fun with Twitter polls, Rachel!