Opinion Stage
| Opinion Stage | |
|---|---|
logo of Opinion Stage
|
|
| Web address | www |
| Commercial? | Yes |
|
Type of site
|
Online polling and voting tool |
| Registration | Required |
| Created by | Assaf Parag (CEO) and Gil Yoffe (CTO)[1] |
| Launched | 2011 |
|
Alexa rank
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(Global) 41,292 28,727(as of November 2013)[2] |
| Current status | Active |
Opinion Stage is an online polling and voting tool with a social layer built into its core.
Overview[edit]
The tool permits the creation of either multiple-choice or head-to-head (two answers) polls, which can be personalized with customizable features and supported with a text description, image or video. It is offered as a self service, upon creating an account on Opinion Stage with a Facebook, Twitter or Google+ account.[3]
The widget provided by Opinion Stage is based on the concept of social polling and voting (people use their social network identities to vote). This feature is flexible and the creator of the poll can determine whether a social profile is mandatory, optional or is not required at all for voting. The social profile requirement to vote is intended to be used to promote social sharing, drive social traffic to the site, improve voting authenticity and also to make possible social and demographic filters (gender, location, social network belonging etc.).[4][5]
The polls created on Opinion Stage website can be shared on such online social networks. There are various options, including the option to enable or disable social sharing and another one to set visibility for poll results (displayed all the time, displayed after a received vote or totally hidden from users). The widget can also be used on other types of websites by embedding the JavaScript code. An Opinion Stage Social Poll plugin can be used for the websites based on WordPress. The software of the widget uses responsive design techniques to support various platforms and screen sizes. Opinion Stage works also as a standalone platform, the users having personalized home pages with the polls they are interested in.[3][6]
The business model is freemium, offering the basic functionality for free. Paid Pro or Enterprise plans offer additional features, like advanced results filters, advanced customization features, clone polls (by creating poll templates) etc. There is available an option that allows integrating ads into the polls for monetization purposes.[7]
History[edit]
The founders Assaf Parag and Gil Yoffe created the company in September 2011 and launched the Opinion Stage website at the end of that year. Parag mentioned in an interview how it appeared the idea of a social poll tool: "Last summer (2011) there were all these big demonstrations all over the world. All these people would participate and go back home and express their opinions on social networks but in a very unstructured way. So you don’t know who supports what and why. This is how we came to Opinion Stage. We wanted to structure all these opinions that are out there".[4]
Reception[edit]
The reviews remarked the easy-to-use interface,[8] the enhancing value of adding images and YouTube videos to polls[6] and the way the social polling filters out spammers and improves the quality of contributions.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ "Opinion Stage". Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- ^ "OpinionStage.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- ^ a b Anna Heim (2012-07-27). "Opinion Stage’s widget lets you add debates to your site". The Next Web. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- ^ a b Aya Ephrati (2012-08-05). "New Widget Easily Integrates Polls To Blogs And Websites". No Camels - Israel Innovations News. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- ^ "Opinion Stage". OpenStartup.co.il. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- ^ a b "Create Social-Friendly Polls Easily With Opinion Stage". Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- ^ Ali Qayyum. "OpinionStage.com – A cool way to using social polling". Smashing Hub. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- ^ "Polling made easy – Opinion Stage". Israel New Media Innovations. 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- ^ "OpinionStage – Debate the Latest Trending Opinions Online". 2011-12-21. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
