The "I want BETTER feedback" mentality is lost on me. I may have read your story and liked it, but the world didn't stop turning so now let's all go on with our lives (Usually. Now that I've typed that out I'm going to fall in love with the next story I come across).

I think I'm saying that polling could too easily be used as a tool to control the feedback an author gets.

Oh, absolutely. Even if one were to make all the options on the poll "Liked it," "Loved it," and "More," which wouldn't produce a very accurate response, I think (which is why, even though it freaks me out a little, I'll still use "didn't like it"). I wonder if adding a text-entry for problematic issues would be effective.