Time to vote!

The live chat I hosted for the end of the 2010 WordCount Blogathon went so well, people have asked whether I’d consider doing more real-time Twitter events on a regular basis.

I’m game if you are.

But I don’t want to hold more chats if nobody wants to come.

So I’m putting it to a vote. Are you interested in regular live chats? If so, what would you want to discuss: writing, editing, tech tools for writers, the freelance business or changes in the media industry?

Help me decide by taking two very short polls.

The first one asks how frequently you’d participate in a WordCount live chat.

The second asks what topics you’d want to learn more about in a WordCount live chat.

I’ll provide the results of both in an upcoming blog post.

Here’s poll #1:

Here’s poll #2:

You can find out with a Ratings service WordPress.com recently rolled out for users of its free blogging platform.

Why bloggers will like this: it’s a quick and easy way for readers to provide feedback on your posts – and what other people are saying about them – even if they don’t want to take the time to leave a comment. It’s also a good way to see which subjects readers like, and which they don’t.

The service is courtesy of PollDaddy, creator of a polling software application WordPress’ parent company Automattic bought in 2008 and subsequently integrated into the blogging platform.

WordPress.com users will see the Ratings service in the left column on the main Dashboard. Click on it to open the Ratings panel, which includes options for adding ratings to your blog posts, pages and readers’ comments.

Use the Advanced Settings feature to have ratings appear above or below a post, set up a 5-star system or a Nero-style thumbs up or thumbs down, and choose options such as colors and placement.

Once you’ve set everything up, track feedback using the Reports feature, which appears under the Ratings link on the main Dashboard.

This WordPress TV demo explains more about how to set up the Ratings application. You’ll find more help for getting started on WordPress’ Ratings Support page.

I’ve already enabled this feature for posts and reader comments. If you like what you see, please let me know.

Which got me to thinking -  just how many Twitter accounts does one person need?

I have one, all-purpose Twitter domain, @michellerafter, and I use it for everything – hunting for sources, promoting a story I’ve written, announcing when I’ve posted something new on this blog or just ruminating about the vagaries of freelance life.

But would I be better off separating the different ways I use Twitter into their own entities? Should I have one account for the tech writing I do, and another for my HR and careers stories? Am I sending my Twitter followers mixed signals by mashing together all aspects of my work life?

I have no idea. So I’m asking  – what do you do? How many Twitter accounts do you have? Please take a minute and fill out the poll that follows. If you’re reading this through an RSS reader or email, please click through to the blog to take the poll. Ff you have multiple Twitter accounts, please consider leaving a comment explaining what you use them for.  I’ll follow up with my thoughts on the results in a future post.

Take Our Poll