Several people have asked about the results of the recent survey completed before the blog re-design.

Here are a view highlights.

Much of the survey was what would be expected:

• Most of the readers are female.
• Most of the readers are between the ages of 30–50.
• Marriage was the most requested topic.

None of this was a shock, but a few things did surprise me:

I was surprised by the popularity of Funny Friday. I shouldn’t be since Jenny was the one who suggested being funny every Friday. Yet I always assumed it was the least liked of the topics, but the survey showed it was one of the most liked—second only to marriage. This raises a problem—I’m running out of material. I have a few stories remaining but for the most part, I’ve told every funny story I know. I might have to start taking guest submissions for Funny Friday. To see the most recent Funny Friday, Click Here.

I was surprised people wanted me to post 5 days a week. I assumed people would want 3 days a week, but the vast majority of responders want 5 days a week. I will continue that pace through the end of the year, but will re-evaluate over Christmas. I enjoy the daily discipline, but sometimes 5 posts a week is a challenge in the midst of sermon writing and other duties.

I was surprised by the number of people requesting a membership site. While it is the main trend in blogging, I have never considered it. The number of requests for this was not overwhelming, but it was larger than I expected. I’m going to have to think on this. If you have ideas, let me know. The leading vote getters in what to add to the site was evenly split between a podcast and a book.

Several recommendations from the survey can be seen in the new design of the blog:

• It should be easier to read on mobile devices.
• A search option is now available.
• It’s much easier to contact me via the site.

As a result of the survey, I plan on making two changes:

1. I will dedicate a day to write about parenting. This was the number one request from the survey. I find the topic interesting and look forward to spending more time considering the topic. Since I write about marriage on Wednesdays and try to be funny on Fridays, I’ll pick one of the other days to write about parenting. To see the first installment in this series, Click Here.

2. I will do a regular post where I answer a reader’s question. It’s one of my favorite types of post and many people requested to make it a more regular aspect of the blog. I love the idea. It will probably be easiest to make submissions through Facebook or by contacting me through the website.

Ways to Help

There are several ways you can assist me as I move forward.

1. Subscribe. No one needs more email, yet subscribing is the only way to guarantee you will see each new post. Facebook recently changed an algorithm which has greatly affected how many people see a post on a daily basis.

2. Share. When an article is meaningful to you or you think it will help a friend, please share, +1, or forward the email to a friend.

3. Comment. When things don’t make sense or you want more explanation on something, please don’t hesitate to comment. Many times, I will write follow up posts based on a comment or question. Nothing helps me more than when someone says, “could you please write about _____.”

Thanks for your help and your interest. I do not take lightly the time you give me every time you open a post. It’s a honor and I hope to use it wisely.