Mastodon Poll: How to Use Polls on Mastodon on App, Browser, & Desktop

Here is another magnet that attracts people to Mastodon and that is Polls. Use polls on Mastodon to get votes on queries, keep your users engaged, and gauge opinions immediately. With the polls tool, you can make more of your Mastodon account. So, let’s get started and know How to Use Polls on Mastodon.

Online social media polls are indeed an entertaining approach to posing a question and having followers choose from predetermined options, with at least two options for users to choose from. Followers just need to tap the response to vote for it. Then both the publisher and the followers can see how far the polling has evolved.

Polls can be useful in a variety of situations. This tool can help travelers, businesses, students, teachers, and almost everyone else. Let us summarize how to use polls on Mastodon and how polls work on Mastodon. 

How to Use Polls on Mastodon?

Polls on Mastodon work similarly to posts (formerly called toots). If you know how to post on Mastodon, you will probably be able to post polls in no time. But don’t worry if you have never posted on Mastodon; you will learn that along with how to use polls on Mastodon.

Mastodon is basically an open-source social media platform. The advantage of this is that anyone can download, adjust, and install Mastodon on their own instance and create an app for that. At present, there are hundreds of apps and thousands of independent instances that are active. There are many instances, especially the largest Mastodon instances, which have their own sets of rules, character limits, and user interfaces. However, there is a similarity when it comes to polls.

I have explained how to use polls on Mastodon using the authorized Mastodon app and the web. You can, however, follow this guide on third-party apps for smartphones and computers. 

How to Use Polls on Mastodon on the Smartphone App?

There are, as I said, many third-party apps for both iPhone and Android smartphones. You can find the authorized apps listed on the official Mastodon site. I suggest using the official Mastodon app for your data’s safety and security. It is available on both Google Play and App Store. Download the app and follow these steps to know how to use polls on Mastodon.

Step 1: Launch the Mastodon app on your smartphone.

Step 2: In the bottom right corner of the Home timeline, tap on the pen icon to create a post.

Step 3: Add a question, query, or poll heading in the box dedicated to writing a post

Step 4: Tap on the poll icon (three vertical polls), the second icon from the bottom left corner.

Step 5: Set your options. You can set 2, 3, or 4 options on each post.

Step 6: Tap on the option fields to type the responses.

Step 7: Set the duration of voting by tapping on the Duration: 1-day option. You can set a minimum duration of 5 minutes and a maximum duration of 7 days.

Step 8: Tap on the Publish button at the top-right corner to run the poll.

How to Use Polls on Mastodon on the Smartphone Browser?

If you are using the Mastodon app, you may be asked to “Open in Browser” often. There are many icons and functions that don’t work on the app. For instance, you have the star icon on the app but not the bookmark icon. Similarly, you do not have options to view most of the Mastodon timelines — Federated Timeline, Explore Timeline, and Local Timeline — on the app version.

There is more stuff that can be viewed, explored, or accomplished on the mobile browser version of the site. You have extra features on polls as well. Hence, it is equally important to know how to use polls on Mastodon on a smartphone browser. This option works on a multitasking (reduced-sized view) window on the computer as well.

Step 1: Click on the three dots symbol (•••) in the top right corner of any post published by you.

Step 2:  Tap on the last option, “Open in browser,” to launch the Mastodon site on your smartphone. You won’t need to enter login details this way.

Step 3: In the top right corner, hit the Publish button near your Mastodon avatar to create a post.

Step 4: Add a question, query, or poll heading in the box dedicated to writing a post.

Step 5: Tap on the second icon, three horizontal blocks, from the bottom left corner of the box.

Step 6:  Set your options. You can set 2, 3, or 4 options on each post.

Step 7: Change the radio button to a checkbox if you want more responses on your polls.

Step 8: Tap on the Choices fields to type the response names.

Step 9: Tap the block labeled “1 day” to modify the duration of voting. You can set a minimum duration of 5 minutes and a maximum duration of 7 days.

Step 10: Tap on the Publish! button at the top-right corner to run the poll.

How to Use Polls on Mastodon on the Computer?

If you use the multitasking view very often you can follow the steps mentioned prior to this. I prefer posting on Mastodon through a multitasking window. It gives you a larger view of the field where we post as compared to the full-view website. Sounds a bit odd, but you can experience it yourself. Anyway, here is how to use polls on Mastodon on the computer browser.

Step 1: Open your computer’s browser and navigate to the web address of your Mastodon instance.

Step 2:  On the left pane, you will see a text box dedicated to writing a post. That is where we have to work.

Step 3:  Add a question, query, or poll heading in the text box over the grey text, “What’s on your mind?”

Step 4: Tap on the second icon, three horizontal blocks, from the bottom left corner of the text box.

Step 5: Set your options. You can set 2 to 4 choices against your polls.

Step 7: Change the radio button to a checkbox if you want more responses to your poll.

Step 8: Tap on the option fields to type the response names.

Step 9: Tap the block labeled “1 day” to modify the duration of voting. You can set a minimum duration of 5 minutes and a maximum duration of 7 days.

Step 10: Tap on the Publish! button at the bottom right corner of the text box to run the poll.

Different Options to Use on Polls on Mastodon

There are many options that you can use to make your polls interactive. Here are their names and uses:

1. Choices

You can add 2 to 4 choices to your polls. These choices can be named as per your requirements. You can fill in these options with an answer, a yes or no, a choice to go with, and more. You can add up to 25 characters to each option.

2. Buttons

You have two types of buttons: radio buttons and checkboxes.

a. Radio Buttons

If you are posing a poll that has either A or B type options, you can keep the radio button (it is the default button). You cannot click more than one button on the polls with radio buttons.

b. Checkboxes

Checkboxes are essential when you expect more than one answer from your viewers. When checkboxes are used, a voter can click all options provided on the poll. You can switch from a radio button to a checkbox with a simple tap on the button while creating a poll. Checkboxes are not available on the app platform.

3: Validity

If you want a quick response from your followers, you can set a poll’s validity to as low as 5 minutes. A poll can also be set to run for 7 days. Once the poll has expired, viewers will get to know the final result.

Why Use Polls on Mastodon?

Social media polls can be created to get more engagement from your followers as well as to get a better understanding of things. It does not only help a regular user; it is a useful tool for business as well.

Polls are fantastic because they allow individuals to respond with little effort, increasing customer engagement. Answering a poll takes a fraction of a second because the options are already available, similar to a multiple-choice question vs an essay question. This makes polls appealing while users are browsing through social media feeds in their spare time; in comparison, it takes significantly longer to construct a reply by entering it from scratch.

Polls often pop out aesthetically in the Mastodon timeline, especially on the public and Federated timelines, increasing the chance that they will be discovered and responded to.

If you run a business, you can use this tool to get feedback from your customers in a creative way. You may ask them something like, “Which product do you like more?” and give them 2-4 options. It will promote the other three products while also providing you with information about the growth of your products.

Wrapping Up

I hope you now have the answer to how to use the polls on Mastodon. Polls can be entertaining as well as a useful tool for reaching out to and capturing the attention of both old and new followers. If you create polls on a specific gap in a certain manner, it will make your timeline prettier as well. 

So, that is all about how to use polls on Mastodon. I hope this write-up is helpful. For more Mastodon-related guides and fixes, keep surfing Path of EX. We have compiled a significant resource to make the app familiar and easier for you and your friends.

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