Reader Survey Results & What to Expect in 2015!

photo via Death to the Stock Photo, design by Megan

First, thanks to each and every one of you who participated in my reader survey last month! I've finally gone over the results, so today I wanted to share the highlights and also how I'll be using this information to improve Semi-Charmed Kind of Life this year.



When I started my first book challenge in 2012, I never dreamed they would grow to include so many fantastic bloggers and readers. (The summer challenge last year attracted more than 80 participants, and 19 people finished! I don't think we've ever had finishers amount in the double digits before.) Although I'm glad so many people stop by for the book challenges, that's not why I started blogging: I started blogging as a way to document my travels and new adventures after college. Therefore, I'm glad to see several other categories got a lot of love. I notice the favorite topic is overwhelming books; I've been actively trying NOT to turn this into a "book blog," just because there are other things I want to write about, but it's nice to know I can (and should!) write about books often. :)



Well, my least favorite posts to write are recipe posts. (Food photography is hard!) So I guess it's safe to assume those won't be entering the editorial calendar any time soon. :) I was admittedly a little disappointed to see travel was the second-least favorite post, as that was my original passion and reason for this blog, but far more people listed it as one of their favorites, so you can expect to be seeing regular Travel Tuesday posts for a while yet.

*Note: No one picked "personal posts" for their least favorite posts. (See more on this below.)



Again, I am just not cut out for food blogging haha. But I am excited to see productivity/organization tips topped this list! I've already begun brainstorming some good posts for y'all, including my personal favorite that I've been preparing ideas for since early last year: "50 Productive Things to do in 5 Minutes or Less." Doesn't that sound fun? :) I also have a follow-up question about the request for more "personal" posts: What kind of stuff do y'all like reading about bloggers' personal lives? I tend to stick to where I'm traveling and what I'm reading, and I rarely get personal on the blog, so I'm curious to see what you want to know!

**Note: No one picked "wedding posts" for what they want to see more of. I do plan on sharing an occasional batch of wedding photos or planning tips, but they will probably only be once a month for Wedding Wednesday. (And aren't those kind of personal posts??)



My first thought was: "That's good, because I use Instagram and Twitter the most!" But then I thought, perhaps that's why I have more followers on those platforms: because I'm more active. Hmm....



Well, that's good, because I only plan on posting three times a week, maaaaaybe four if I'm feeling extra inspired. :) You can expect to see one travel-related post, one book-related post, and one "grab bag" post most weeks.

*Note: No one picked "6 times per week."



Well gee, thanks to the 34 percent of you who've stuck around for at least one year! And for all you new(ish) readers, thanks so much for taking the time to fill out this survey! It's great to see my survey reached a variety of readers.

Other fun facts about my readers: Every single person who took the survey was a woman. // More than half were aged 26 to 35, with about 32 percent falling below that age range and 12 percent above. // Only two of the 41 participants know me in real life. // According to my Google Analytics from 2014, most of my readers are in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany.

Best comment: "keep being awesome girlfran." Ha! That made me giggle. But really, everyone who left comments was so encouraging and funny; thank you all for taking the time to do that!

Have you ever done a reader survey? What were the most helpful results? And seriously—what do you want me to get personal about??

Linking up with Ash for Two for Tuesday.