Help Improve Bock
May 19th, 2009 | By Bock | Category: internetUnless you’re brand new to this site, you’ll know that we did a major revamp over the last week or so.
Now, we want to find out a few things about the kind of visitors coming to the site. All we want to know is where you live, if you’re male or female, roughly what age range you’re in and what kind of things you like to read about.
We’re not asking for your name, your email address or anything else that could identify you. We won’t know who said what and we’re not interested. We just want to know what the statistics are, so please, let us know a little bit about you. It shouldn’t take more than ten seconds.
The form is in a tab on the header, or you can click HERE.
It’s marked Reader Survey
Living is Sichuan near Chengdu, currently in Colima Mexico building an Iron Ore processing plant. Read the site most days enjoy almost all of it.
Would you mind filling out the form, if possible, so that we can analyse the results.
I’m not a TD, not a banker, not a speculator, not a rich person, not an unemployed person and I read tons of shyte when I’m not busy drinking Guinness.
What form?
Can’t find the form either.
My fault. I left out the link. You can find the form on the top bar in a tab called Reader Survey.
You can only pick one category of post that you like in that survey – I picked one, but really would have liked an ‘any/all of the above’ option, or to be able to tick all that apply.
I know. It’s one of the limitations of the plugin we used.
What if one lives in Africa, or the Middle East?
Why not make it five questions, so we can at least pick two kinds of posts that we like?
OK, I took the survey. I would like to go on record as saying that I read your blog for everything listed except sport, but that’s not because you aren’t a most fascinating writer. It’s because I don’t follow real football as you do, I’m an American football fanatic! xoxoxo
Bock, are going to post the results? I’m (just) curious also.
Could you please enable full feeds? Basically, with the new format only a small excerpt is shown in RSS readers, you’ve to click through to the website to read the full article. It’s a major inconvenience. Love the redesign otherwise though.
I filled in the form as well. I will be curious to find out the results. I hope you will post them….
Bock I have a dreadful habit of lying on Surveys . With respect this one did not give me enough options, I do like the site. Best regards to yourself and Scotty. Live long and prosper.( did I just type that? I shall go away and have a strong drink)
John — Calling it a major inconvenience seems a bit extreme. Is tit very hard to click on the link? Maybe we need a public debate on this. Thanks for bringing it up.
Nevin — I’m hoping to publish the result, but its main purpose is not aimed at that sort of thing.
Have to agree with John.
And there is a reflection on your previous post here – “Is tit very hard to click on the link?”
Heh!
I’m with john – why not enable the full feed ?
The new look is fine but … Yeah, I know, it’s your site and you can do what you want, but, (and don’t go getting all huffy now), we loved you as you were, Bock, it’s not you that needed to change it was us. We hadn’t grown with this relationship. We were happy with the familiar, just ambling along. We didn’t realise you wanted something different… give us time we’ll learn to love the new you. Or maybe you can meet us halfway.?
Damn.
There’s nothing listed under the blogroll for some reason… just thought i’d let you know.
Thanks Audrey. I’ll have to look into it.
ah jazus, I dunno. You could be bock the robber for all I know!
Bock: fair enough, it’s a minor inconvenience, but one that adds up when reading lots of blogs through a reader. Is there any reason *not* to have full feeds, and consequently, any need for a debate?
John — I think it’s worth discussing. I’m still weighing up the pros and cons of it and I haven’t come down on one side or the other yet. Some people go with the full feed and others don’t. In the end, it has to be whatever you judge is best for your own site.
I’d be interested to hear some of the arguments on both sides.
Okay, but what are the pros of limited feeds? (Not trolling, just genuinely curious about this, and care about getting my daily Bock fix!)
Well, one that springs to mind is the wonderfulness of actually being on the site, instead of inspecting a sad ghost of the real thing.
Okay, found what I was looking for – an excellent article expressing my exact views on the feeds debate:
http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/market-movers/2007/10/01/blogonomics-rss-feeds
(Admittedly, the revenue stuff isn’t really relevant here, but there’s lots that is)
Right. I’ll have a look at that later. Need to go out for a pint now, to numb the pain in my dislocated leg.
Thanks for the fix (Re: my #8).
Bock, at the end what matters is ….. does it feel personal to the reader? Can I feel part of your blog on a human level or will it feel disconnected from my reality?
There are millions of blogs and each and everyone of us is an isolated island, in a vast ocean …….
Hey Bock,
Form filled, thank you very much. Now, one small thing…
I read Bock regularly but rarely from your actual site – I pick up the posts in my reader (Google Reader). Before your site update (which *is* good), the full post was visible in the reader – I could read it all, then step on to my next feed. Now it only previews a snippit and if I want to, I gotta go to the site and read it all. think of all those tabs and windows open.
Fair enough, I often do go to http://www.bock, but I prefer the other way. Is this an, erm, feature or a constraint from the good people of google? Or have I not explored the Reader options as thoroughly as I should have.
Eagle
My blog reading has gone very light in recent months, but I still like to catch your posts as often as possible. I mostly read posts in my Google Reader and only occasionally click through. *runs off to do survey now*
I miss the friendliness of the old sight. This is tidy but not as warm. It hink it’s something about the color and the boxes.
Well said. I think going back to the old, different font would help. And making the name of the post-er bigger like before. But the most important thing is still the content – and the improved offensiveness.
I feel your pain. It’s an effort for me as well adapting to the new layout, but I’m afraid, folks, we’re not going back to the old design. This one has more flexibility and allows me to do things I just couldn’t in the past. As you begin to see new contributors and new options, I hope you’ll appreciate why such a radical change was necessary. It was either that or remain stuck in a rut. We must keep evolving and challenging ourselves.
This site is just going to get better. Simple as that. I’ll publish some stats in the coming week that might surprise you.
I feel discriminated against – you allow for the provinces in your survey ,but no tick boxes for the Scots. I may never read your site again, but then again my life is so bereft of entertainment I may have to. Given there are so many of us overseas types reading your diatribes, can we have a foreigh news section. PS: I’ve done a day to day body count and your claim of being 20% more offensive is inaccurate – it’s only 16.4% as of yesterday.
Maybe it’s me, maybe I’m just getting old but I’m finding it very hard to figure out where the latest post would be. For instance this morning under your heading recent posts there were posts from all over the place – 2009, 2007, 2008 whatever. Very disorganised.
One thing about the last system was it’s order. Turn on the Bock icon, there was the latest post, top of the list, no messing. Now it’s all over the place. Looking fine and modern but come on lads. Get a bit of order into it.
Maybe I’m getting old. I’m getting more from the other fella these days – you know, five fours…
Sorry ’bout that.
thanks.
Hmm. The recent posts tab is supposed to show all the most recent posts, and I haven’t been able to replicate the problem you describe, but I don’t doubt you for a minute. I know this thing is going to be flaky for a while until we get all the categories sorted out. It would be very helpful if you could try and recall exactly how you got all those disorganised posts up so that we can get the Geek working on fixing it.
As regards the other point you make, well, all I can say is, y’know, Chinese take-aways might satisfy you for a while but before you know it you’re hungry again.