Blog Survey Results (pt 2)

6.16.2015



I figured I should finish sharing the results of my reader survey before I forgot about it all together. Part 1 (read it here) covered all the questions except for the specifics about which posts you all like to read. That's what I'm sharing in today's post, along with some comments on the "why do you like reading this blog" and "one critique I have is" questions.


I am not taking any credit for the formatting of this question. I saw this on another blog survey and thought it would be a great way to get more specific feedback on the particular post topics you do and don't like to read. I would link to the blog where I saw this, but it's just one I found one day while scrolling through Google, and I didn't write it down, so blogger fail on my part.

Anyhoo, here are the results:
Most people seem to like when I blog about marriage. I don't do it often, because there's a really fine line between being open and sharing personal details about our marriage that don't belong on the Internet. However, I did have someone email me a request to write about who should come first in a marriage--the spouse or the children. This is a topic I have an opinion about, and I think it might be interesting to discuss with you all, so you might see a post on that coming up in the next few months.

In case you missed them, I'm linking to a few of my favorite serious marriage posts. You can also view all the posts labeled "marriage" by clicking on the "topics" tab in the menu bar at the top of my blog and choosing "marriage."



It's no surprise that you all love my funny marriage stories. I do not make any of these up! This is real life in the Bumgarner household, people. A few past favorites:


Overheard

I am glad no one said OMG stop, because you would be banned from this blog. My family is one of my favorite things to write about, and if you hate it, NOT SORRY, because I will keep blogging about them forever and ever amen. Here are some personal favorites from the last 5 years:
My Grandpa's Tie
The Christmas Tree Story
Then the Cops Showed Up

Of course you like random life updates! It confuses me that anyone would say they don't like this type of post. These are my favorites to read on other blogs for sure. If a blogger doesn't write about their life and only posts recipes and DIYs and "5 Ways to..." I stop following pretty quick.

Wanna know a secret? These lists posts are written more for my enjoyment than yours. I mean, I'm glad most of you like them, but I write them mostly because they're just really fun to write. These are the ones I go back to and read and chuckle while patting myself on the back and saying, "Self, you are funny." A few favorites:



Okay, wanna know another secret? Blogging about my faith gives me MAJOR anxiety. Like, every single time I post something about God the following thoughts run through my head: Everyone is going to think I'm a nutcase for writing about this.
People are going to unfollow me.
Wait. Why do I care if people unfollow me for blogging about God?
I shouldn't care.
I wish I didn't care.
Does that make me a bad person because I care?
Nevermind. I DON'T CARE. I'm hitting publish.
Okay, I still care, but this is my blog and I love Jesus, and sometimes I want to write about it.
This is not a faith blog, and it was never intended to be, but I do believe in God, and sometimes I want to write about it. I appreciate those of you who were honest about not enjoying those posts. I get that they're not for everyone. But I hope you still feel welcome here, no matter what your beliefs. And I do pray for you, even if it's not by name. You can see all my faith-related posts under the "faith" option in the "topics" menu above.
Some of you don't like these, and I get that. I pretty much skip all weekend recaps posts that come up in my feed, and I'm guessing this is a similar situation. The reason I like this format is because it's structured; every month I include the same topics (read this month, travel, notable events), and it's a fun way for me to recap the month and include some pictures and small tidbits that didn't make it into its own blog post. These are my favorite just for my own personal use because I use them as reference when I'm working on my Project Life pages.
Bloggers like reading about blogging. That's just a fact. Another fact is that non-bloggers don't like reading about blogging, because why would you? I definitely don't do as many blogging-specific posts as I used to. I've been at this for 5 years and don't feel the need to blog about blogging as much. But I do enjoy it and like the discussion that comes, so you'll still see a few of these from time to time. For anyone who's new, you can check out all my blogging posts here.


I was surprised to see how many people like my posts on OKC! I'm not a huge fan of local posts from other bloggers unless I'm actually planning on traveling there (or unless you're Charlotte and you live in Europe). But I'll keep throwing in OKC posts occasionally since you don't seem to hate it. I really did think the answers here would end up much more toward the bottom.
Last but certainly not least, my running posts. Insert giant, mournful sigh. You guys, I haven't run in a month, and I keep meaning to blog about it, but here's the short version: I miss running, but it's hot and I'm tired from packing and cleaning and moving, and the Braxton Hicks are large and in charge, as is Baby Bum (whose name HINT does not start with a D). Hopefully I will be rocking the race recaps posts again soon! I did enjoy this comment from one of you: The only thing more boring than running is reading about someone else running. <--- That made me LOL. I obviously can't say I agree, but I love the honesty.

I asked you what your favorite blogs are, and a few people asked me why I wanted to know. Am I targeting my advertising? Answer: no. Also, ha! The only reason I asked this question is because I want to share some new blogs with you and find some new blogs for me! 

If someone is reading my blog and likes another blog, you might enjoy it too. I had grand ideas of categorizing these and linking back to the blog, but ain't nobody got time for that. You all gave me SO many names! So I copied all of YOUR favorite blogs into a Word doc, and you can view it at this link right here. Note: While I do read and love some of the ones mentioned, I am not personally endorsing any of these blogs. I haven't had time to go through the entire list myself, but hopefully you can find a new favorite or two!

Let's conclude with a few comments and critiques.

First, critiques. You really didn't have too many, which of course made me feel good BUT I always want to improve, so if you ever have something I can do better, please let me know. A few people mentioned not really enjoying my vlogs because they prefer to read (totally understandable!). Someone said they wish I blogged more often, which is a nice compliment but there is no way that's going to happen any time soon. 

A few people said they don't enjoy my faith posts, and one person said they wonder sometimes if they would be welcome in my readership because we differ in our faith views. I guess to that I can only say that I really hope everyone feels welcome here, no matter what your views are about God. And in case I need to clarify this, I want you to know that in real life, I have many friends of various beliefs from atheism to Catholicism to different Protestant denominations. Just because we don't agree on politics or religion doesn't mean I don't want to be friends.

Lastly, why you like reading this blog. You guys really are so nice, and these comments made me smile. The words/phrases most often used to describe why you like reading The Lady Okie were: funny, relatable, honest, original, real, positive, no fluff, fun to read, great writer, thoughtful, fun. 

Seriously, such huge compliments. I never want this blog to represent anything other than my real life, so I'm glad that a lot of you see that. The biggest compliment is when someone who knows me in real life says reading my blog feels like sitting down for an in-person chat. I've been blogging for over 5 years, and it's never felt like a chore. I love coming here to write and share and interact with all of you. Obviously I won't keep doing it forever, but for now, even though sometimes I wonder if spending so much time on this is a waste of time, it's just really fun.

I'll conclude with a Photobooth pic I took just now. Jordan just came in as I took this and now he's making fun of me. I really have no shame.

Now excuse me while I return to packing. WE ARE MOVING ON SATURDAY. And by we, I mean Jordan and our friends will move, and I will supervise while eating donuts. Amen.

Sara Oss said...

You should really be holding up three fingers. HAWKS WIN!!!! :)

shelleystirs said...

Just seeing the title of the post about your grandpa's tie made me giggle all over again! And hooray for moving. Maybe you can just sit on a chair and tell everyone where to put each box...:)

The Lady Okie said...

HECK YEAH!

Ashley said...

Ah... Your grandpa's tie... That was one of the first posts I remember reading when I first found this blog. I may or may not have gone on a Lady Okie reading binge while babysitting one day... I've been waiting for this post since you said you were going to post a Part 2, but I had no idea how much it would actually inspire me. I've always struggled with maintaining a blog because I feel weird about my faith posts and like I'm boring people with my writing updates... but, honestly, I'm tired of that and I'm tired of giving up on blogs because I'm worried about what other people like/don't like. Maybe it's time to write for MY enjoyment and then just let everyone else take or leave what they don't like -and if someone can't do that, then that's a problem on THAT person's part. Not mine as a writer/blogger. If a blogger is a darn good writer like you (aka prone to incite reading binges from time to time) it should be 100% okay to post a faith post. Heck. I even enjoy reading about running. Lol.

Caroline @ In Due Time said...

I am so impressed that you make all these pretty charts! I'm glad to share about your faith, because at the end of the day that is the #1 thing that matters! Keep being bold!

Rach said...

I really enjoy reading these survey posts! It's neat to see what other people said in answer to your questions.

I'm glad you blog about your faith even when it's difficult for you. Some of those posts are my favorites.

Hey! My blog made the list! Someone mentioned me! Hooray! :D

Amy @ A Desert Girl said...

I like the recap. Seems like you got some great feedback.

And good luck with the move. Eat lots of donuts and supervise well. Yay! So excited for you guys.

Michelle said...

I love your blog. I really do. And I seem to love fewer and fewer blogs these days.

Oh girl I hear you on the anxiety on writing about faith. I used to write about it a lot more when I first started blogging, but then my whole blog direction changed and I wrote a lot more lighthearted things. And sometimes I want to write about faith and God but I feel like that would be totally out of place and I get all twitchy about it. Which I shouldn't! But it's still a struggle, and I'm annoyed that I struggle with it.

Amber Thomas said...

I've never done a survey. But this makes me want to because it's rich and the results are so interesting and helpful to me (because I feel like so many of our topics overlap) as a blogger! :)

Kayla MKOY said...

Those "life update" posts are always a favorite to read on any given blog! To be honest, I love all your posts! You're hilarious and you write so honestly! I think a survey is a great idea!! :)

Erin LFF said...

I love that you share these- they really are so insightful! I'll be checking out some of the blog on your mega list, too- always fun to see what others are reading/recommending. I have a question for you- you like the random/life updates from bloggers but NOT weekend recaps. Why? Aren't they essentially some of the same things? Letting us peek into what they've been up to? Just curious!

Jenna Griffin | Gold & Bloom said...

I have really enjoyed reading your recaps! You do it so well, and it's all so interesting! And YAY for my blog being one of the ones mentioned more than once! I feel really special, especially since my reader survey didn't go so well. Ha. I'm not sure I'm going to share the info afterall. I just can't do fun graphs, and I can't think of another way to share the info! I'm such a visual person!

Anyways, thanks for sharing your survey results!
PS, love the selfie. :)

Kerry @ Till Then Smile Often said...

Those are some great responses. A lot of good blogs on that list.

Unknown said...

That was entertaining. Your recaps always are. And your readers are pretty awesome (and I'm not saying this because I am a reader). :)
Good luck with the packing (and the donut-eating)!

Sarah @ Sometimes Photojenik said...

This was so fun to read! Love all the visuals too. I must admit I was surprised by the Project 12 results because I LOVE those posts... but maybe it's because I do a Project 12 myself? And I couldn't agree with you more on the marriage posts- there is SUCH a fine line that I'm not sure I've quite figured out yet which is why I hardly post any marriage stuff. I also get a lot of anxiety writing about faith related things especially because I grew up in a sort of unique religious background and have had a lot of REAL LIFE negative reactions so I'm just as scared of the Internet. Fun post and I'll be praying for yalls move this weekend! You go and supervise that thing :)

The Lady Okie said...

That's a good question.

I guess it seems like the weekend recap posts (this is, of course, totally generalizing) often end up being really "I woke up and mowed the yard! Then we went to dinner! Then we went to see a movie!" Or, "I slept in until 10:00 and then I read a book in bed and then we went to the park and then on Sunday I made pie and we went to a wedding." That's totally fine if you want to document that on your blog. (Not YOU you, but people you.) I'm not going to unfollow you over it, but I personally don't care to read about your Saturday and Sunday activities unless something happened. This is where I prefer to share a specific story rather than "here's a collection of things that I did over the last two days."

The random life updates that I enjoy are more the coffee date slash "here's where I'm at right now" kind of thing. These seem to get a little more personal of the blogger's thoughts or what they're up to currently in general life events than just a recap of happenings from the past two days or whatever. That and maybe it's because everyone seems to do weekend recap posts, and after a while they all start to sound the same.

All that said, I'm not trying to sound like a jerk about it. Tons of bloggers do weekend recap posts and people love it. I just tend to skip them most of the time and catch them on their next post. Not a huge deal.

Tracy said...

All of your posts are so thoughtful and that's why I love your blog. I like that you have a range of funny to serious posts but that there's never any fluff with you. Plus I always love a well-written blog so A+ for you! You got a lot of great responses and I more or less agree with them EXCEPT for that lunatic who thinks reading about running is boring. Thanks for sharing that list too! I've been feeling like I want to expand my circle a little bit lately and there are so many on there that I've never even heard of. Can't wait to check them out!

Bethany Carson said...

Enjoyed reading about the results! Now I can hardly wait till the survey-year is up for my blog, so I can take another one. I always love your sense of humor, and I'm glad you share about your faith.

Angela said...

Such interesting results!!

Beka @ Sunshine to the Square Inch said...

Jenna I think you should post your results! I didn't do graphs either but I just got a pretty picture and put the topic and percentages of what people liked, didn't like, etc. It's also fun to see how everyone shares their results!

Beka @ Sunshine to the Square Inch said...

Your results are fun to see. You should time how long you spend on these posts and include it in next time. I think that would be interesting.

Also, I think that is really nice of you to post a list of all the blogs out there. I'm definitely going to check out some of those listed.

Laura | Making Baby Provence said...

"Self, you are funny." This made me snort. I love that you do that. I do it, too. Just the other day, one of my friends said she had been procrastinating a project for 3.5 years. I told her not to feel bad because Biblical people took like 40 years to do things. I thought it was so funny that I kept going back to it throughout the day to giggle at the comment. My kids shake their heads when I laugh at my own jokes. I think it’s brilliant because I’m enjoying life with the one person I spend the most time with.

・ DESIGNED BY ECLAIR DESIGNS