Results Time!

I'm on my hols this week so I'm scheduling a couple of posts to keep the blog warm while I'm away and hopefully I'll have lots of pictures of me knitting on a sunny beach (in England? HA HA HA!) when we get back.

It's taken me a while to finally get round to it, but here are the results of my survey from Blog Week.  I tried to find a better way to present them, but technology and I are apparently not on the same wavelength at the moment.  Anyhow the results are the same...

And, to me anyway, they are pretty interesting.

The first question was really just about my curiosity, I like to open my blog reader and catch up on my favourite blogs in the morning.  The kids are usually completely entranced bu their breakfasts and the latest adventures of Bing Bunny so I can get a bit of uninterrupted time with a cup of tea firmly in one hand and my iPad in the other.  I do dip in and out throughout the day, however, if I find myself at a loose end.  It seems that most people tend to do that too.

Questions 2 and 3 are really two sides of the same coin and it's really clear that the way you write has the power to attract and put off readers.  For a while now I have been stressing a bit about my photography, it's not my strong point and I've felt that it's been letting me down.  While it is something I will continue to work on, if I've taken the time to make something I want to represent in in the best way possible, it's not the be all and end all that I thought it might be.

Looking at what keeps people reading, it seems that people are equally drawn in by a blogger having a similar lifestyle or interests and the way in which they write.  Of course if that interest is the topic of the blog then that is probably a given, but I imagine we're talking about other interests, family situations. occupation, age etc.  At the same time people aren't necessarily turned off a blog just because the blogger leads a very different life to them, just more likely to keep reading if things seem familiar.  However, if your writing style is unappealing it looks like there is no way back from that, add to that the appearance of being clueless and you're done for!  These results were pretty heartening and actually do tally with the way I feel about the blogs I read, so it's nice to know I'm not weird in that way.  I hope my little survey has been interesting for you too.

Day Six: Polls Apart

Almost every blogging platform offers a way to easily put together and host a poll, and polls, surveys and questionnaires can be a great way of engaging with your audience and readership. There are times when readers do not feel that they want or have time to think, compose and post an answer or response to a post, but short polls can often be completed with just a few clicks.

Importantly, survey findings and poll results can give bloggers an absolutely wonderful source of information to blog about. Whether you are looking at basic statistics of the percentage of knitters, crocheters and those who enjoy both or the results of a more opinion-led set of questions, you will be gathering a greater understanding of your readers and may find out some surprising results.

Much as I was tempted to have a bit of fun today and ask frivolous questions about what your favorite toast topping are (because toast is very important!), I feel like I would be missing a golden opportunity to find out a bit about people's blog reading habits.  Let's go!