This is the second blog survey I've done in my four years of blogging. (Click here for the results of the first survey.) Putting this together takes some time, but it's so fun to read the responses. This is not a short post, so buckle your seatbelt.
To be honest, it's always a bit nerve-wracking to do a survey, because I realize someone could take the chance to say something rude or mean. It is anonymous, after all. But in four years of blogging, I have somehow managed to avoid any blogging drama, and I only got the nicest of comments on this survey! Seriously, you all are the best, and I loved reading what you all had to say. Thanks so much for the feedback!
Now on to the survey.
There were four questions, and I got a total of 159 responses. Woo! Prepare yourself for pie chart awesomeness.
I assumed most of the people who read this blog are bloggers, and I was right. I think having almost a third of my readers be non bloggers is pretty good, though!
Kiki wrote a post about this idea of whether or not you talk about your blog to people who know you. A lot of people say it's awkward to talk about their blog to other people, and I agree. It is a bit awkward and self-serving.
But I also know for a fact that my friends and family enjoy reading my blog because they like seeing what we're up to. Friends from college and high school that I don't get to see very often have texted or called to tell me that they love reading my blog because it's like I'm sitting there having a conversation with them. In the past I've even sent an email to some of my girl friends with a link to a post that I think they'd enjoy. So because of the fact that I like to pimp out my blog, I'm not surprised that so many people who are not bloggers read this blog.
Here were some of the "other" comments on this question with my comment written in italics next to it.
___________
No.
I am not clever. <--- Let's be honest. None of us are actually THAT clever. We're just good at faking it.
I
have intentions and a URL, but consistently fail to actually blog...does that
count? <-- I guess technically it counts, but then again not really.
Heck
no! I wouldn't have enough interesting things to write about <-- I never think I have anything interesting to write about. I live in Oklahoma, okay? I don't even have a pet or a child to keep it interesting. If I can do it, you can do it.
I
don't say "heck" <-- Stop being difficult.
Looking
into starting one! <-- You should! Just know that you will spend the rest of your Friday nights from now until forever writing blog posts.
No <-- I'm confused about this answer. Wasn't "no" already an option?
This question was obviously just for fun, so thanks for humoring me. I do think it's hilarious that out of 159 responses, ONE person said they plead the fifth.
Not as many of you went with the weird option as I thought. You were probably just trying to be nice. But it's okay. I know I'm weird.
I'll bet most of the people who know me in real life checked the weird one. I know Jordan did. That guy.
So, most of you who took this survey have been hanging around for about a year. This makes sense, because last year when I did the Blog Every Day in May with Jenny, I gained a bunch of followers. Is that where you all came from? According to my first survey, most of you linked here from another blog, so maybe that's it.
In any case, I'd say the spring of 2013 is when I started consistently getting more than 10 comments on a post. I still feel like a rockstar when I get over 10 comments.
Eleven percent of you have been around since the dark ages. Aka when my blog was first birthed and had the name Breathing in the Wind. I got a couple of confused comments like, "Your blog used to be called Breathing in the Wind?"
Then I got this comment:
So
glad your name isn't Breathing in the Wind anymore, sounds like the title of a
romantic novel with Fabio on the cover.
To which I say, you may have a point.
I can't say the idea of a romantic novel with that title didn't intrigue me, however, so I've taken it upon myself to create a mockup of the cover of my first novel:
Coming soon to bookstores near you! It's gonna be steamy.
P.S. For those of you interested in the story behind my blog name, click the image below:
This is the only question that is the same as my first survey, except I changed up the categories a bit, so really it's not the same at all.
In the first round, your favorite posts were my fitness/running and my "funny family posts." This time, fitness/running are still high one the list, but I was actually surprised that my "real life" posts took the top spot.
However, I suppose that is the point of a lifestyle blog, yes? To write about one's life. But sometimes I think we all feel so much pressure to be funny or to offer a helpful tip or use a "Pinterest-worthy photo" that we forget that the best posts are the ones that come from the heart where we're just sharing about our lives. It was unexpected, I think, but it really makes me happy that you like my real life posts the best. That's what I like writing about the most anyway.
I'm not surprised that my God/faith posts are ranked lowest. I honestly don't know if I would choose that at my absolute favorite category on most of the blogs I read either. But as I talked about in this post, my faith is such a huge part of the my life that it's kind of in everything I write about even if I'm not outwardly talking about it. I hope you guys know that.
Here are some of the comments I got in the "other" category:
_________
everything
except running <--- WE ARE NOT FRIENDS. Just kidding. No, but seriously.
Anything
that contains the names Jeff and Peerman <--- This would be Jordan's friend Jeff Peerman. Hi, Jeff! You're so sneaky.
Video
games <--- This is either Jordan or one of Jordan's friends. They all got a huge kick out of this post and now Jordan is paranoid I'll do it again.
________
To conclude, I want to share some of the comments you left in the "do you have anything else to tell me?" box. I seriously was blushing as I read some of these, because you left me the nicest little notes! I can't thank you enough. I got a lot of great comments, so I hope you don't feel left out if I don't include yours below. I just grabbed some of the ones I thought everyone would be interested in.
1) Honestly,
I didn't like all of the posts about running and would skip over them because I
hated everything about running. BUT over time I've been getting more
interested in running and have found myself using your blog as a running
resource. And now I look forward to those posts. I guess I didn't know a good
thing when I saw it, huh? <--- This is kind of awesome. I'm making running converts! You guys all better watch out.
2) I have no recollection of how I found your blog. I do remember that one of the
first posts I read was a lesson on grammar, which I enjoyed. Also......I hope
it will become a mommy blog someday! <---- Can I tell you guys a secret? Sometimes I brainstorm funny ways of announcing my pregnancy on this blog. Is that weird? Jordan and I are not trying or anything, but sometimes I'm just like, "How will I announce it to everyone?" I mean, it's kind of a big deal.
3) You
continue to brighten my day everytime you post! It's almost as exciting as
reading RealitySteve...ok, maybe sometimes it's as exciting. You could amp it
up if you sent in an app for me to date the next Bachelor and then you could
blog about all the witty, funny things I say on the show. <--- This is really only funny to me because I totally know which of my friends would write this. Liz, it means a lot that you love me almost as much as you love Reality Steve :)
4) Really loving the Runners Tell All link-up! I love all the topics and getting everyone to share their crazy stories behind why they willingly lace up shoes and pound pavement without Godzilla or the Zombie Apocalypse chasing after them {both of which, aside from "the Army makes me run" used to be the only excuses I would accept for voluntary long distance running}.
***That reminds me. The next RTA linkup is Saturday! If you can't link up on the weekend, the linky will be open all next week. The topic is: Your Favorite and/or Proudest Running Moment. There will be another giveaway with TWO winners!***
5) You're my favorite blog. I sometimes will wait to read your post as a treat after I do something icky like clean the house. I'm a beginner runner, married no kids. And I think you're wicked funny. Love love! :-) <--- Okay, who is this? That is so nice of you to say. And also kind of intimidating. That would suck if my post was a letdown. But seriously, what a compliment.
6) I
feel as if your blog could use a bit more Jeff Peerman. There is a distinct
lack of it and that should be fixed immediately. -Concerned
Reader <--- GOOD GRIEF. This is what happens when boys read your blog. They complain you don't talk about them enough.
Just for that, here's a picture of our friends Jeff and Kyle. This is the only one I could find on short notice. Kyle also likes to complain that I don't showcase him enough on the blog, so I hope both of you are happy.
7) Sometimes
I like to access your blog through absurd google searches just to amuse you.
You can track what searches people arrive via, right? I sure hope so because
some of them are quite ridiculous and amusing. To me. <--- So, yeah. This is kind of the best thing ever. Seriously, when I read that I laughed for like five minutes. Whoever you are, you might have too much time on your hands.
On that note, I guess Blog Survey 2014 is a wrap!
Now let's continue in the tradition from Survey Result Post #1 and have a moment of silence for the hours I spent making pie charts that I will never get back. I hope it was worth it. Thank you again for reading and commenting and taking my survey. Cheers to you all.
Stay tuned for scenes from my upcoming romance novel....