Now that I have written 30 posts, I’m hoping a few of my readers won’t mind giving me some feedback. A few weeks ago, I made a joke that the hardest part of blogging was trying to adapt my language to get a better score on the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test. A friend of mine disagreed and said that the hardest part about writing is not having any feedback. After some time, I’m starting to appreciate the legitimacy of that statement. I do occasionally get a question or a brief comment, but not enough to give me guidance.
My posts so far have been a mix of gear reviews, trip reports, how-to’s, and opinion/community pieces. Of these, the gear reviews and the trip reports get the most views. I’m looking to see which types of posts people enjoy, which they would like to see more of, and what other topics I might cover.
CampingJay’s First Survey:
- Which type of post do you enjoy the most?
- What topics would you like me to cover in the future?
- Are my gear reviews helpful in making decisions?
- Do my How-To articles introduce new information?
- Do you enjoy reading my trip reports? Would you visit the places I’ve described?
- What other feedback would you give me?
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•Which type of post do you enjoy the most? Field trip reports. I did enjoy the article about the 12 in 1 scissors. Very insightful, even though I’d never give up my wave for it.
•What topics would you like me to cover in the future? I would like you to cover more aspects of camping, especially using a motor vehicle (dual sport motorcycle, side-by-side or 4WD truck) to get to your camping spot. I know you are a backpacker, but you would get more interest if you expanded to all types of camping.
•Are my gear reviews helpful in making decisions? I have not read enough of your gear reviews to make that decision, however I think I would pretty much ask you rather than read about it!
•Do my How-To articles introduce new information? Yes, they do.
•Do you enjoy reading my trip reports? Would you visit the places I’ve described? Yes, and I have!
•What other feedback would you give me? Don’t worry about SEO, and keep trip reports coming.
Hey Andreas, let’s go on an off-road expedition in your truck sometime so that I can write about it. This blog is intended to share my learning experience in the world of camping, but I cannot write about something I haven’t tried. Let’s do it! I can also let you write guest posts, if you’d like.
Thanks!
CampingJay
Which type of post do you enjoy the most? I like the food posts. I know it’s easy to fall in love with everything you eat while camping because you’re just so hungry. But some of the ideas are really smart and definitely get you excited to eat outside.
What topics would you like me to cover in the future? I like when you just blog bout recent trips and what you have done. It seems to flow nicely and it shows actual experience.
Are my gear reviews helpful in making decisions? Generally you just tell me what to get when I am home, but I probably will look into them when I do more intense field work for grad school. So far, the quilt and the tent you suggested for our Appalachian hike was the best advice.
Do my How-To articles introduce new information? You can find a lot of how-to articles out there, but it’s nice to see someone actually practically using these “inventions” and tips. It just shows which tips are good to follow.
Do you enjoy reading my trip reports? Would you visit the places I’ve described? The trip reports are my favorite. If I have more time, I would definitely go to these places.
What other feedback would you give me? Again, surveys made online can give you feedback faster. You can also create surveys to get a response about new topics you should cover. Engaging your audience would bring more people to the site.
Which type of post do you enjoy the most?
Ones about CampingMeg. Also, I enjoy the DIY projects.
What topics would you like me to cover in the future?
More about the advantages and disadvantages to super lightweight backpacking. Some people just like to have their stuff. Is there a way to compromise?
Are my gear reviews helpful in making decisions?
I like gear reviews generally when making decisions. Not everyone is the same, but it is helpful to have suggestions for what works best for you.
Do my How-To articles introduce new information?
These are helpful. I have not spent a lot of time researching how-to articles on camping so this information is new to me.
Do you enjoy reading my trip reports? Would you visit the places I’ve described?
Yes! Trip reports are the best part.
What other feedback would you give me?
Definitely share links to pages that you follow. By doing that you can gain more followers and help your favorite bloggers out. Also share more tips on saving money. This can be an expensive hobby, but it does not have to be.
Which type of post do you enjoy the most?
What topics would you like me to cover in the future?
Are my gear reviews helpful in making decisions?
Do my How-To articles introduce new information?
Do you enjoy reading my trip reports? Would you visit the places I’ve described?
What other feedback would you give me?
Pictures
Tropical camping adventures
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
I would add more of a variety of camping. Need more of a variety of “Xtreme” camping!!!!
Overall…. Great sight. Love the info and suggestions of gear. You have clearly had A LOT of experience and your opinions help me make my decisions!!!! Keep on rockin it!!!!
I would have to say all your posts are insightful and very interesting. You give great advice, and I am usually waiting for the next post.
Knowing you and what Camping Jay is really like, your posts, advise, reviews and trips fit you to a “T” and I think they are amazing. What I would suggest is to widen your area of expertise and include posts for more of the beginner/mid-range camper. This would include people who never consider sleeping underneath just a tarp or consider making one. Now I am not just saying this because I take car-camping to the opposite extreme, but it may help people ease into this sport/hobby and eventually turn into the next backpacking aficionado like yourself.
It all depends on the audience you are looking for…. are you looking to attract the high-tech, backpackers who are looking to always get lighter, go farther, and come up with the next cool idea? Or are you looking for a range of readers who could go from backpacking to full-on tent camping? Some of your reviews, and hacks could apply to both, but I can’t see most carrying them out.
I enjoy your trip posts a lot because it peaks my interest as I always think about trying out backpacking, but I am not ready for it physically. Keep it up… who knows one day we will all join you at some of these spots.
Overall, keep doing what you are doing… your passion and expertise show through each post.
Thanks Drew! That’s great feedback. I plan on starting to release some more “back to basics” stuff over the next few weeks, including reviews of basecamp/carcamp equipment and trip reports for more relaxed times, like Goosefest. Stay tuned!
Hey Jason,
We’re not super active campers yet (more day-trip hikers), but could become more active if we were more aware of awesome places to take weekend hiking-overnight camping trips. So we’re interested in the trip reports and if they would give a sneak peek at favorite places for short trips– some photos and details to give a sense of the place i.e. views, water, history, facilities etc. We only have so many weekends and good tips from actually being there help plan good trips.
In general I do find gear reviews helpful especially for big purchases. But in addition to that, general hacks and comfort tips that help avoid purchasing gear are also awesome.
Which type of post do you enjoy the most? THE POSTS I ENJOY THE MOST ARE THOSE THAT HAVE TO DO WITH OUR ANNUAL CAMPING TRIP.
What topics would you like me to cover in the future? THE TOPICS I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO COVER IN THE FUTURE ARE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE FUN WE HAVE ON OUR YEARLY CAMPING TRIPS.
Are my gear reviews helpful in making decisions? I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BEING YOUR NEIGHBOR, SO I GET TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT GEAR AS OPPOSED TO READING ABOUT IT.
Do my How-To articles introduce new information? I AM NOT THAT SALTY WITH YOUR HOBBY, SO I DON’T REALLY DO A ‘HOW TO DO’.
Do you enjoy reading my trip reports? Would you visit the places I’ve described? I AM JEALOUS ABOUT TRIPS ANYONE TAKES. ALWAYS ENJOY THE PICTURES.
What other feedback would you give me? TAKE MORE PICTURES.