Tuesday, January 30, 2007

The Blog Questionnaire

This blog has now been running for a year and a half. It has grown into a medium-sized political blog with a thoughtful community of regular visitors which regularly gets namechecked on other, bigger blogs and in the mainstream media. By and large, I am very happy with the way things are going.

But there is always room for improvement, and over the next month I will be running this poll in my sidebar to try to find out what readers would like to see more of - whether it be more analysis, more gossip, more personal stuff or even, God forbid, more politics!

There are some interesting "strategic" issues which I want to try to address - such as whether people want to see this blog develop into more of a thorough-going political blog or whether they appreciate some of the non-political stuff that occasionally appears here.

My own view on this is that the combination of the personal and the political is one of the great strengths of blogging - as both Iain Dale and Rachel North have shown in their different ways. But I want to know your views.

One thing I would like to see more of is your comments! While the overall blog stats have grown steadily over the past few months, the number of comments has been slightly decreasing, which is odd. It could be that I'm not being controversial enough. Alternatively it could be that I am writing about things you are not interested in! Either way, I want to know.

It's a multi-choice poll so you can tick as many boxes as you like. Please also feel free to leave your observations in the comment box.

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12 comments:

The Daily Pundit said...

More analysis - will he won't he, will she won't she, and what if?

More anecdotes: the most recent about Jon Craig was a corker.

Comments: it could be beta blogger which plays havoc with leaving a comment. (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it)

All in all when I come over here I know I'm coming over to 'Linford's Corner'. Long may it contine.

Btw, does anyone know how I can get in touch with Monica Lewinsky?

Unknown said...

Your poll needs a second question: "What would you most like to see less of on this Blog? (Click all that apply)" (or else you need a likert scale on the answers).

.. not that I'm suggesting there should be less of anything per se you understand .. but my pedantry says that an absence of ticks in a "more" box is not the same as ticks in a "less" box. ;^)

</2p>

Paul Linford said...

Raymond

I prefer to accentuate the positive!

The blog will continue to contain all the elements listed, but maybe not in the same proportion as currently. What I want to find out is which aspects of it people like best, so I can do more of that.

stalin's gran said...

I don't remember an anecdote about Jon Craig. What was it?

Jonathan Sheppard said...

Paul.

Love the blog as it covers what you want it to(thats the beauty of blogging). I personally amquite interested in Tory politics obviously - but your insight into what's happening on the "dark side" so to speak in Labour politics and also you insight from the experience you had as a journalist is what I love to read about.

skipper said...

Paul
My comments have been down recently too though have picked up in last few days. My conclusion is that it's impossible to know why certain things happen in cyberspace: my advice is to just accept we haven't a clue and wait for normality to return.

Disillusioned and Bored said...

I really like your analytical articles. Particularly the ones that look at the reasons behind the reasons. I think you have a really shrewd view of the Machiavellian. More of that please, but I'd like to think I'm a regular enough visitor that you don't need to change too much to keep me happy. All good.

Anonymous said...

Gran

The Jon Craig anecdoate is HERE

Anonymous said...

More Top Tens!

Paul Linford said...

David

I've run out of political top tens, so if I'm to do any more they would really have to be non-political ones.

My question is: do people really want to read about my Top 10 album tracks, Top 10 70s cop-shows or Top 10 London curry houses on this blog, or do they want it to concentrate on neo-endogenous growth theory? That's partly what this whole exercise is designed to find out!

Anonymous said...

But you left Top Tens out of your questionnaire! How do you know that everyone doesn't want more of them?

I bet there are some more political Top Tens you could think of, anyway.

James Higham said...

Paul, your strength is your analysis and this is reflected in your poll. Don't get into the trash blogging, please. Leave that to Guido - he does it so well. More on your philosophical/Christian point of view on certain issues from time to time would be good.