2014 Blog Clarity Survey Results

I asked. You answered.

Over 125 of you peeps filled out my reader survey! And now you get to see the responses and learn a little about your fellow bloggers in the process.

Why did I do a survey? With my name change, it felt like the right time to do one. My last survey was back when the blog first started! I knew the survey would give me an idea of what’s working, what’s not, and a chance to learn more about you and your blogging. And boy did you deliver.

I created this infographic to share the overall results with you, from how long you’ve been blogging to what topics you want me to cover (keep reading for some of your comments and suggestions).

Some things I found especially interesting…

One thing that surprised me is that a total of 61% of you spend 10 hours or less a week on blogging. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but it seems like so many people spend time on blogging for hours a day. So maybe that’s not the case. Iiiiiiinteresting.

Most of you have also been blogging a while- the majority of you have been blogging over three years!

You guys are eager to learn. While the infographic shares the most asked for topics, you really want to learn about nearly ALL THE THINGS, so you definitely won’t be short on variety when it comes to Blog Clarity posts!

Some of Your Nicety Nice Comments

Many of you shared comments in the open-ended questions at the end of the survey.

Practical, knowledgeable advice, warm, sweet personality.”

“The easygoing approach you have to teaching us the important things when it comes to managing our space.”

“Love how open and easy to understand the advice is. Even if you think you know a lot, there’s always something new to learn or realize you didn’t know as much as you thought. I love that this is done in a supportive and encouraging way rather than presume a blogger is dumb for not knowing something.”

“You break down scary topics (stuff I don’t think I know anything about) & make them easy to understand.”

“I love the resources (free and paid) and the way you write. You don’t talk to me like I’m stupid but you don’t talk too far over my head either.”

“Melissa, you’re good people. Finding you and the Content Brew course really changed my approach to blogging and the benefits from it. Love your stuff!”

Wow, that was nice! There are so many more and y’all really know how to dole out warm fuzzies.

Some of Your Suggestions

I didn’t get as many suggestions as compliments, but there were still some great nuggets that I can take action on:

I don’t feel like there is very much about interacting with brands and monetizing content.  I also wish there was a little bit more information about coding stuff.  I think that there’s more in your book, but it’d be nice to have some on your site too.”

“Would love more specific examples of how to make blogging a business.”

“A detailed resource page for all things blogging/ social media.”

“I would love more simple hacks/tips on using WordPress and plugins.”

And by far the most specific request in the Improvement section was… POST MORE!

(Are you nodding your head?)

Well, me too. Once Blog Design for Dummies was finished, I jumped right into creating Media Kit Smash and a few months later, started simultaneously doing that AND my re-design. Yeah, um, that was a little crazy. I’m finally feeling on track to bring you two, sometimes three posts a week (except for special weeks like family vacays and such). I have SO many ideas so the posts you want to see are coming!

As for the specific suggestions above, if it wasn’t on my to-do list, it is now.

Out of all the comments, two of them made me flinch. I received two comments about hating my new blog name. One of those commenters thought my new name sounded cheap. Ouch! I had a sad moment about those two comments but, as they say, you can’t please everyone. They were honest so I can’t fault anyone. Regardless survey comments sometimes sting! Lucky for me, I’m confident in my new blog name and know it was the right choice for me.

Anything Surprise You? Anything to Add?

Anything else you want to suggest (topics to cover, course ideas, general suggestions), drop a note in the comments.

And for those of you who filled out the survey, thank you for your suggestions, opinions, and answers. Be on the lookout for more posts based on your feedback!