Getting to Know You: A Quick Poll

Understanding Audience

“Getting to Know You/ Getting to Know All About You/ Getting to Like You/ Getting to Hope You Like Me…” Richard Rodgers, “The King and I”         

In the spirit of Darren Rowse’s How to Be a More Relational Blogger [Tips for New and Established Bloggers], and my new years’s resolution to participate more in the blogging community (both on and off my blog), I launched a survey yesterday, wanting to learn more about the folks who are dropping by. I got a pretty decent number of views on this post (of course, that’s relative for a new blogger), and one poll response (thanks especially to that respondent)…which brings me to today’s follow-up to yesterday’s poll, where I’m trying to butter you up just a bit, so you feel more inclined to respond…:-)  I think there are about seventy regular visitors here, or maybe only the same ten who keep returning each day…(I’m not sure I’m analyzing the stats correctly…) Anyway, whomever you are, whether that’s 70 or 10 folks [I like to think it's 70]…thank you for your continued interest! Welcome also to first-time visitors…        

Sometimes, you return readers unmask yourselves, usually when I least expect it, via the occasional comment, or even mentioning my blog in-person, when we randomly meet—which reminds me a bit of Battlestar Galactica. “How?”— you might ask.  A good question.     

Well, I was a regular fan of the new Battlestar Galactica series (yes, a bit in touch with my inner-geek there, but a lot of us were on that one…it was such a sexy, smart show!)…and whenever someone reveals that s/he has been reading my blog, I feel like one of the Final Five has been revealed from that show’s last season or two (you remember…the human Cylons that stood on the staircase landing in the dream foyer, with their identities disguised in white light, or were they just wearing phantom-like sheets? ok, you don’t remember…well, never mind…let’s move on…)        

A private person by nature, I never had any strong urge to leave footprints on the web, until I recently caught the blogging bug…so, if you’re more of a lurker-type than an online contributor, believe me, you’re in good company here, up until very recently. But coming up on a year blogging, I still can’t help wondering a little bit about who you are…are you technical writers? are you marketers? are you writers who have done both? are you more trainer-types? are you in leadership roles, in the trenches, or consultant types? people I’ve worked with? are you working? unemployed? in transition? are you using social media? …are you interested in the more inspirational posts on social media for good? Are you by any chance, mainly my hubby and kids? (For awhile there, unknown to me, my youngest daughter used to view my About Peg Mulligan page multiple times a day to pump me up…It worked, btw.)       

Sometimes, I think that maybe my daughter has enlisted the entire first grade class to do the same each day…But if that’s the case, thank you, too! (“Hi, Honey! “Hi, Kids!”…) I’ll take my readers, wherever I find them, very gratefully.       

Knowing even this high-level information would help me with the topics I select. (…so please don’t be surprised if Miley Cyrus or Ashley Tisdale rank higher in my topic selection next week, if my theory proves true.) Regardless, I think having that mental picture of who visits here would help me to write a bit more conversationally, and with greater focus.       

So in the quick poll below, please let me know a bit about your reasons for visiting this blog. (If more than one reason applies, please select the best reason.) In the free text option, also feel free to add any reasons I might have overlooked. Or in the comments, I’d love to know what types of posts you like the most, or answer any questions you might have, possibly about this first year of blogging, especially if you are a beginner blogger as well.      

Understanding my audience is the purpose of this survey. That’s one of the first rules of technical communication, marketing communication, training, UI, or any product development. I kick myself for not asking sooner.

All feedback is anonymous and really appreciated.   

  –Peg       

 [polldaddy poll=2586016]        

Photo Credit, di_the_huntress       

Related Links        

• About This Blog   
• Understanding Audience and Purpose
• Analyzing Audience Without Direct Access to Customers