In this case i would think it is the best data avaible If the 'best data available' is still a meaningless sample, it is still not valid data. Any plan made based upon it is as likely to be misguided as well guided. The data is of no practical utility when it is entirely based on a self-selected sample. There are all sorts of means to improve the sample in a poll, and quite a lot of literature on how to do this. My own education began with: A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis: The Eightfold Path to More Effective Problem Solving (Paperback) Public policy analysis: An introduction (Paperback) Which deal in political research. There is like material available for commercial research. Likely more material available as they have better funding... :) the general gist of it all comes down to - you need to find a means to randimize your sample as much as possible, and to prevent self-selection either in or out as much as possible. While a pure random is impossible, it is not impossible nor even unduely hard to get a fairly random sample. This poll is 'fun' for anectdotal evidence of the online community's most proactive members, but that is all it should be seen as.

Truth has no value without backing by unfounded belief.
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