Survey says...

I love surveys and quizzes. Almost as much as I love lists – and you know that’s a lot! And I have to say that seeing your answers to my blog survey was just about as fun as taking a survey myself. Thank you so much to everyone who answered my questions. I appreciate your input and will absolutely take it all into consideration as I move forward.

Because I’ve found that at least some of you (you know who you are) were very proud of your responses, I thought I’d share the ones that caught my attention most. (Note to the person who said, “I wish you’d write about me more”: I will. Oh, I will!)

Does it bother you that I . . .

• The ads have become overwhelming. It's all about the ads now, not all about Mary.
• Sorry, nothing personal, I really just don't like Disqus.

[I hear you. And as soon as I can afford to move to Wordpress, where they have fancy plug-ins and rainbows and unicorns, I will amend the situation. Until then, I think I’m going to stick with it. I am truly sorry about the inconvenience, though!]

• No actually to all, but survey monkey says I must include an answer.

[Bad Survey Monkey! Bad! Okay . . . I must confess . . . that was my fault. And I’m sorry. Perhaps you can say that is what bothers you on my next questionnaire!]

Why do you read Giving Up on Perfect?

• Because you're my friend and that's what friends do! :) It's also usually pretty entertaining. :)

[Usually? Awww, you really are a true friend! Ha!]

• Because you are Mary, and there is no other. End of discussion.
• Because you have some good posts :)

[Some? Um, thanks? Are you related to my friend up above? :) ]

• b/c I met you once and really liked you!

What would you like to change about Giving Up on Perfect?

• GUOP is now much too formatted. It's too gimicky. The realness is gone. Instead of a post about what's on your mind today, it's about someone else's blog, or book, or whatever.

[I’m not going to lie. This comment – including the part I left out of this post – hurt my feelings. I’m sensitive that way. BUT it also made me think, and that is not a bad thing at all. Honesty – even when it’s not what I wanted or expected to hear – is a good thing. So thank you.]

• P.S. Please tell me how many 18- 24 year old males you get to respond. :)

[Yes, sure. That would be none. I had one male respond, and I’m guessing it was my brother.]

• I would trick you into moving next door to me.

[I like that. I don’t find it stalkerish at all. Seriously. Because there are absolutely bloggers I’d move next door to in a heartbeat! (Say it with me now, in our Jim Gaffigan whisper: “Bloggers are weird.”)]

If you haven’t taken my blog survey and want to weigh in, it’s not too late. No, there’s not a prize and I can’t hug you through my screen (plus, it’s anonymous, you know), but it will help me as I make some changes around here.

A few other insights to share with you:

One person mentioned that my sidebars “can be distracting with the buttons and ads,” while another person pointed out that the site sometimes takes a long time to load. I know. And it is annoying, isn’t it! I’m saving up for a redesign and can’t WAIT to get those things fixed.

The majority (69% and 75%) of respondents thought the new feature ideas sounded interesting, although two people will hate a series about non-profits or charities. I’m not sure what to think about that, so I’m still processing. If you have any additional feedback about my ideas – Mission Monday or Wednesdays at Work (The names are still in progress, so don’t laugh. Short copy is not my thing.), leave it in the comments!

[Unless you’re one of those who hate Disqus, and then you can always shoot me an e-mail.]

Last but not least, I found it interesting that 44% of respondents started reading my blog because someone else linked to me. With that in mind, I’d like to encourage each and every one of you to link to me today.

KIDDING.

Mostly.

Seriously.

The end.

[Except this: Who is standing in line at the Post Office today to file taxes??]

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