System and method for enabling a user to create and post polls on a microblogging website that can be answered on the microblogging website

A method for enabling a user to create questions that are posted on a microblogging website and that can be answered on the microblogging website, the method comprising:

• obtaining in the polling system the user's login information for an external microblogging system;
• enabling the user to create a question in the polling system;
• generating a microblog post in the polling system for the question;
• sending the microblog post from the polling system to the microblogging system to post under the user's account on a website associated with the microblogging system, wherein other users on the microblogging system are able to respond to the question within the microblogging system by replying to the user's microblog post with another post that includes an answer;
• sending a query defined by one or more search parameters from the polling system to the microblogging system for responses to the question, wherein every answer is associated with a subject matter marker;
• receiving in the polling system response information that satisfies the one or more search parameters from the microblogging system;
• parsing the response information in the polling system to obtain answers associated with the subject matter markers;
• aggregating in the polling system the answers associated with the subject matter markers from the response information to calculate answer results;
• creating a second microblog post in the polling system with the answer results;
• and
• sending the second microblog post from the polling system to the microblogging system to post under the user's account in the microblogging website.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising computer program code that, when executed by a computer system, enables the computer system to perform the following method for enabling a user to create polls that are posted on a microblogging website and that can be answered on the microblogging website, the method comprising:

• obtaining in the polling system the user's login information for an external microblogging system;
• enabling the user to create a poll in the polling system;
• generating a microblog post in the polling system for the poll;
• sending the microblog post from the polling system to the microblogging system to post under the user's account on a website associated with the microblogging system, wherein other users on the microblogging system are able to respond to the poll within the microblogging system by replying to the user's microblog post with another post that includes a response to the poll;
• sending a query defined by one or more search parameters from the polling system to the microblogging system for posts directed to the user;
• receiving in the polling system the requested posts that satisfy the one or more search parameters from the microblogging system;
• parsing the requested posts in the polling system to identify posts that are responses to the poll and, for polls that include answer options, parsing the poll responses for the answer options;
• aggregating in the polling system the poll responses from the requested posts to calculate poll results;
• creating a second microblog post in the polling system with the poll results;
• and
• sending the second microblog post from the polling system to the microblogging system to post under the user's account in the microblogging website.

A computer system for enabling a user to create polls that are posted on a microblogging website and that can be answered on the microblogging website, the system comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the system to perform the operations of:
• obtaining in the polling system the user's login information for an external microblogging system;
• enabling the user to create a poll in the polling system;
• generating a microblog post in the polling system for the poll;
• sending the microblog post from the polling system to the microblogging system to post under the user's account on a website associated with the microblogging system, wherein other users on the microblogging system are able to respond to the poll within the microblogging system by replying to the user's microblog post with another post that includes a response to the poll;
• sending a query defined by one or more search parameters from the polling system to the microblogging system for posts directed to the user;
• receiving in the polling system the requested posts that satisfy the one or more search parameters from the microblogging system;
• parsing the requested posts in the polling system to identify posts that are responses to the poll and, for polls that include answer options, parsing the poll responses for the answer options;
• aggregating in the polling system the poll responses from the requested posts to calculate poll results;
• creating a second microblog post in the polling system with the poll results;
• and
• sending the second microblog post from the polling system to the microblogging system to post under the user's account in the microblogging website.