The poll on this blog is not over but the trends are pretty clear and the overall feeling I get is that people are happy with it as it is, give or take certain things. The results came out like this:
1. There was a strong feeling that I keep the site layout as it is but clean it up a bit. This latter was particularly a need for IE users, for whom lines were all over the place and text too wide;
2. Navigation seems fine but WTF [said one commenter] is Engine Room? ☺ Think I’d best change this;
3. Navigation to the left and fiddly bits to the right was strongly approved;
4. Graphics – not bad now but no lower resolution please and one person suggested keeping them all to one side [shan’t do that];
5. Articles - in depth are all right but not too many, as people won’t read them. Don’t go the route of lazy, small, heavily linked one liners – people want some sort of blogger input. The bulk should be medium length pieces if possible;
6. Content coverage was about right except for quirky pieces and observations which people wanted far more of. One commenter said, ‘I think you are best talking about life and your impressions of it and being a citizen of the blogging world.’
Well, all right. Other than that, people wanted to see slightly less NA, Middle- East, and Oceania politics, global crises, economics, polls and surveys and quizzes. Some wanted more 'identity changes' via the profile and some wanted me not to keep changing the blog all the time.
I’d like to thank everyone so far [hope there’ll be some more responses] and it has definitely made me re-evaluate and tweak. While certain people said that it was my blog and I could do whatever I damn well liked with it, I’m a person who couldn’t be bothered blogging into the night if no one wants what I offer.
This is a discussion point, really – whether we publish and be damned or whether we take into account our readership.
1. There was a strong feeling that I keep the site layout as it is but clean it up a bit. This latter was particularly a need for IE users, for whom lines were all over the place and text too wide;
2. Navigation seems fine but WTF [said one commenter] is Engine Room? ☺ Think I’d best change this;
3. Navigation to the left and fiddly bits to the right was strongly approved;
4. Graphics – not bad now but no lower resolution please and one person suggested keeping them all to one side [shan’t do that];
5. Articles - in depth are all right but not too many, as people won’t read them. Don’t go the route of lazy, small, heavily linked one liners – people want some sort of blogger input. The bulk should be medium length pieces if possible;
6. Content coverage was about right except for quirky pieces and observations which people wanted far more of. One commenter said, ‘I think you are best talking about life and your impressions of it and being a citizen of the blogging world.’
Well, all right. Other than that, people wanted to see slightly less NA, Middle- East, and Oceania politics, global crises, economics, polls and surveys and quizzes. Some wanted more 'identity changes' via the profile and some wanted me not to keep changing the blog all the time.
I’d like to thank everyone so far [hope there’ll be some more responses] and it has definitely made me re-evaluate and tweak. While certain people said that it was my blog and I could do whatever I damn well liked with it, I’m a person who couldn’t be bothered blogging into the night if no one wants what I offer.
This is a discussion point, really – whether we publish and be damned or whether we take into account our readership.
The last point really depends on why people blog I suppose. Some people just like to pour out all sorts of stuff on line and don't really care if anyone reads it. Others like to engage with other people or at least know there post are being read by others.
ReplyDeleteIts a balance as Cherrypie says- but I do think that if you aren't enjoying it you won't blog which means that there won't be any readers! For example I'm sure my current series on Livy isn't the most popular thing I've done but its one of the most interesting in terms of blogging and I'm really enjoying it and so I'm going to keep going. I think that its important to keep it all fun- and then readers will come who enjoy the same stuff as you.
ReplyDeleteRight, Cherie and Gracchi - your product is well known anyway and so it doesn't particularly matter if one post is a bit this way or that.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a good exercise, really.