Twitterers triumph over Daily Mail

Gipsy poll overwhelmed


22 June 2009 10:06 GMT / By Duncan Geere

Twitter users on 19 June flooded an online poll from the Daily Mail asking "Should the NHS allow gipsies to jump the queue?" with "Yes" answers. The survey was eventually taken down, but not before the vote reached 96% "Yes".

The poll attracted widespread ridicule from various communities across the Internet, but the power of Twitter to spread "micro-memes" meant that the influx of users wanting to pour scorn on the Daily Mail was so great that the newspaper's servers nearly collapsed under the pressure.

The crowd-sourced campaign was also backed by UK-based psychologists. An email went round to nearly every psychologist in the country encouraging them to vote "Yes" to demonstrate "how to phrase a neutral question".
Related

Via: blogs.journalism.co.uk

Full tags
Software, Websites, Twitter, Online, Daily Mail

share print story pdf email story

Recommended articles


Search

Loading

Follow


Best iPad 2 apps

We detail the best iPad 2 and iPad apps in the app store Which iPad app should you download?

Windows 8

All the features and details of the new Microsoft operating system explained What's new in Windows 8?

iPad 3 rumours

What comes next? We look at the possible features, leaks, images, specs and more

Pocket-lint poll

Q. Will you be buying a PS Vita?

Vote YES Vote NO

» LAST TIME
When asked Will Samsung be making a mistake if the Galaxy S III isn't shown at Mobile World Congress in February? 51% said yes and 49% said no