4. Preference driven selection

MetaPolls can create dynamic, ongoing prioritization systems for proposals or products that combine automatic selection with preference specification.

Why is this useful?

Traditional selection processes - whether for cafe menus, project funding, or product features - often miss what communities actually want. Decision-makers rely on incomplete data: past sales, vocal minorities, or top-down assumptions that overlook collective preferences. MetaPoll enables preference-driven selection systems that continuously surface full decision spaces of true community desires while automatically implementing top choices.

This creates seamless flow from collective choice to practical execution, transforming abstract preferences into concrete reality.

How It Works

The community ranks a set of potential options (projects, products, proposals), with automatic selection of the top N items for active status. Each option contains nested preferences that specify implementation details once selected.

For example, a community cafe might use a MetaPoll to determine which drinks to include on the menu:

Click to expand MetaPoll example:

title [Starbonks Drink menu]
options [
=Latte
==Milk Type
===Whole
===2%
===1%
===Skim
===Oat
===Almond
===Soy
===Coconut
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Americano
==Cream Type
===Heavy Cream
===Half & Half
===Milk
===Non-dairy creamer
===None
==Cream Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Espresso
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Cappuccino
==Milk Type
===Whole
===2%
===1%
===Skim
===Oat
===Almond
===Soy
===Coconut
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Macchiato
==Milk Type
===Whole
===2%
===1%
===Skim
===Oat
===Almond
===Soy
===Coconut
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Mocha
==Milk Type
===Whole
===2%
===1%
===Skim
===Oat
===Almond
===Soy
===Coconut
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Flat White
==Milk Type
===Whole
===2%
===1%
===Skim
===Oat
===Almond
===Soy
===Coconut
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Cortado
==Milk Type
===Whole
===2%
===1%
===Skim
===Oat
===Almond
===Soy
===Coconut
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Ristretto
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Affogato
==Ice Cream Type
===Vanilla
===Chocolate
===Caramel
===Coffee
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Hot chocolate
==Milk Type
===Whole
===2%
===1%
===Skim
===Oat
===Almond
===Soy
===Coconut
==Whipped Cream
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Chai Latte
==Milk Type
===Whole
===2%
===1%
===Skim
===Oat
===Almond
===Soy
===Coconut
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Matcha Latte
==Milk Type
===Whole
===2%
===1%
===Skim
===Oat
===Almond
===Soy
===Coconut
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Iced Coffee
==Cream Type
===Heavy Cream
===Half & Half
===Milk
===Non-dairy creamer
===None
==Cream Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===Simple Syrup
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Cold Brew
==Cream Type
===Heavy Cream
===Half & Half
===Milk
===Non-dairy creamer
===None
==Cream Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===Simple Syrup
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=London Fog
==Milk Type
===Whole
===2%
===1%
===Skim
===Oat
===Almond
===Soy
===Coconut
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Herbal tea
==Cream Type
===Heavy Cream
===Half & Half
===Milk
===Non-dairy creamer
===None
==Cream Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Black tea
==Cream Type
===Heavy Cream
===Half & Half
===Milk
===Non-dairy creamer
===None
==Cream Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Lemonade
==Raspberry+Lemon
==Lemon
==Cherry+Lemon
==Blueberry+Lemon
==Strawberry+Lemon
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Frappuccino
==Milk Type
===Whole
===2%
===1%
===Skim
===Oat
===Almond
===Soy
===Coconut
==Whipped Cream
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
=Smoothie
==Strawberry
==Strawberry/Pineapple
==Raspberry/Blueberry
==Banana/Strawberry
==Milk Type
===Whole
===2%
===1%
===Skim
===Oat
===Almond
===Soy
===Coconut
===None
==Sugar Type
===White
===Raw
===Brown
===Honey
===Stevia
===None
==Sugar Amount
===Extra
===Regular
===Light
===None
]

In this example, only the top 10 drinks will be offered, with automatic rotation based on 3 month average changing community preferences. Within each selected drink, the most preferred customization options become the default offering.

This creates a hybrid system where:

1. Top-level selections are automatically implemented (only top-ranked drinks appear on the menu)

2. Nested preferences provide implementation guidance (default milk types, sweeteners, etc.)

Conclusion

By combining automatic selection with detailed preference specification, MetaPoll creates living systems that adapt to community needs while maintaining operational clarity.

The cafe example, while simple, illustrates a powerful principle: democratic input doesn't have to mean endless meetings or complex negotiations.

Instead, structured preference expression can automatically translate collective will into concrete implementation, whether selecting which drinks to serve or which municipal projects to fund. As organizations seek more responsive and legitimate ways to serve their communities, these preference-driven selection systems offer a path forward that respects both the wisdom of crowds and the necessities of practical implementation.

The future of collective decision-making may lie not in choosing between democracy and efficiency, but in elegant systems that achieve both through thoughtful design.