Post a Poll

Any registered user can post a poll on the web site. Here's how.

• Visit www.prairieriders.net and log in with your username and password. You must be logged in to post content such as polls, blogs, comments or photos.
• If you do not have an account, create one. If you do not know how, see "Create a User Account."

Once your log in, the Navigation Box you used to log in will change to show your user menu. It includes links to "My account," "Create content," My Watched Posts," and "Log out." To start posting a Poll, click on Create content.

The Create content page will load. Choose the fourth item, Poll, from the list of type of content shown.

As it explains on the Create content page, a poll is a question with a set of possible responses. Once created, a poll automatically provides a simple running count of the number of votes received for each response.

The Create Poll page will load.

• Directly below the heading Create Poll, you see the first required field: Question. (You can tell it is required because it has a red asterisk.) Here is where you will enter your question — but wait!
• The temptation is strong to immediately enter your question and possible answers. However, if you plan to have more than two possible answers, we recommend you fill out the other required field first, for Content Keywords.
• You can find the Content Keywords field if you scroll down slightly. It is directly above the Save and Preview buttons. Simply enter at least one word — we recommend you enter poll — and then you can scroll back to the top of the page and enter your question and possible answers.

Why do we recommend that you fill in the Content Keywords first, even though the field appears last on the form? If you've ignored this advice and tried to enter a poll anyway, you probably already know: If you have more than two possible answers to your poll, and you click on the to "Add another choice" button, you will get an error message saying that the Content Keywords are required. You also will lose the question and answers you have already entered.

We are working toward editing this template so that Content Keywords appear first. In the meantime, as noted, we recommend you fill them in first, even though they appear near the bottom of the page.

• Once you've filled in the Content Keywords, scroll back to the top of the page and type in your Question. For instance, you could ask, What brand of sled has the best handling?
• Next, in the table that is headed Choice, enter one answer in each row/field. For instance, for our proposed question, we would enter ArctiCat on the first row/field. Then, we would enter Polaris on the second row/field.
• But wait, there are two other brands you want to post as answers, and no room to enter them! No worries. Simply click on the "Add another choice" button directly below the table. Another row with a blank field appears. There, you can enter Ski-Doo.
• Then, to add your fourth item, simply click on the "Add another choice" button again. Another blank row/field will appear, and you can type Yamaha.
• For our sample question, those are our only answers, but for others, if you need more possible answers, continue to click Add another choice.

Once you are satisfied with your question and answers, scroll down and click on the Preview button. This will show you a preliminary version of your poll so you can be sure every part is where you expected it to be. If you would like to make changes, scroll down below the preview view and edit the poll. If you would like, you can click the Preview again, and it will show you the revised version. Repeat this as necessary until you are satisfied.

When your poll is ready, click the Save button. You will be taken to a new page: your poll page. This is where registered users can vote on your poll.

Normally, your poll also will post in the Recent Polls block, which appears in the narrow column on the right on our site. However, if the board has asked for a special poll to be posted, your poll will not appear on our home page.

As other polls are posted, yours will no longer be posted on the home page. You can view your poll, direct others to it using its URL, or delete your poll by visiting our Polls listing page (http://www.prairieriders.net/poll).