Now that we've been doing this for a year, it's been great to take a step back, look at how it's going, and figure out places where we need to make adjustments. You may have already noticed some format changes in the weekly wrap-ups, trying to make it quicker and easier to scan through these and quickly spot any topics you may want to read up on. I will also be re-doubling my efforts to bring you great technical content (how-to's and development updates), but first: a look at the survey results.
First, I want to take a look at the question I felt had the most interesting responses! After the read more link, I'll go through the rest in order. (Note: questions are listed in heading 3 for easy browsing)
Would you like to see comments or tips from your fellow users? How comfortable do you feel commenting on the forums?
The second part of this question saw the full range or responses, from people who are confident and comfortable with replying, to those who are not at all. However: everyone who answered the first part of the question wanted to see tips or comments from other users!
I would encourage all of you to keep that in mind... even if you feel like you're newer to KLAS or if you suspect your comment might be too basic or even wrong... your fellow users want to hear from you! I promise, if I spot something that could use some correction or clarification, I will provide the extra info with respect.
Also, don't feel like you need to wait for me to post a topic that applies to you--you can post comments, tips, or questions any time, anywhere on the forums. They're here for you!
Do you read Key Notes blog posts?
- 45.8% Often
- 33.3% Once / Occasionally
- 12.5% Always
- 8.3% Nope
I think this is great! I'm so happy that so many of you are reading these posts often--and that others are dropping in occassionally for the topics that interest them.
And to the devoted "always" readers: you're awesome. Thank you so much for trusting us with your time and following along with us. That's exactly how I hope for this to work.
What are your favorite types of blog post?
- 91.3% Technical content
- 43.5% Users' Group content
- 34.8% Behind-the-Scenes at Keystone
We hear you! We will continue all types of content, but I will do my best to bring you the technical content you really, really want. And if there's a particular topic you want a "how-to" of or a feature you want a closer look at... let us know!
Do you like having a new post each week or would you prefer less to keep up with?
- 72.7% Weekly is good
- 27.3% Weekly is too often
I didn't know what to expect from these results, so I'm glad to hear our current format is working for most of you! For the rest: you have our blessing to skim the weekly wrap-ups and skip any weeks when you're too busy.
What do you think of our Notes from the Scribe guest posts?
- 57.1% Good, and I'd like to see more guest posts!
- 23.8% Good, but I'm not interested in other guest posts.
- 19% Not interested
We're so glad most of you are enjoying these! We'll also look for other opportunities to put up a guest post now and then... but if they don't interest you, don't worry. Guest posts will remain an occassional thing, and they'll be clearly marked in the wrap-ups so you can skip them.
Anything else you want us to know about the Key Notes Blog?
(Any topic requests? pet peeves? guest post volunteers?)
All of your comments are noted. In particular, I'd like to respond to one:
"It would be nice to be able to comment directly to a blog post instead of going into the forums."
I agree! Unfortunately, that is not something our current platform can do... but we will keep that feature in mind as we continue working to make this site more useful for you.
Do you read the Thursday Forum Tips?
- 70.8% Once / Occasionally
- 12.5% Often
- 8.3% Always
- 8.3% Nope
Very interesting! Since the tips are always short and sweet, I'd expected them to have a bigger following than the blog, but that doesn't quite seem to be the case!
I will watch for opportunities to make the Thursday forum posts even better, but in the meantime, I hope you'll continue to drop in occasionally for the tips that interest you... and maybe let a co-worker know if you see one that applies to their job duties. I'd appreciate your help in getting this content to the people who will find it useful!
Do you like weekly tips or would you prefer less to keep up with?
- 73.9% Weekly is good
- 26.1% Weekly is too often
Fairly close to the results for the blog... seems like weekly is still good for now, but between the 26 percent who find this too often and fact that most people only read them occasionally, we may decide to post fewer tips in the future. If we do, I'll try to make them twice as good to make up for it ;)
Have any of the tips encouraged you to try a new feature, change a setting, or do something differently in KLAS?
- 52.2% Yes, one or two
- 30.4% No
- 17.4% Yes, several
I thought this, along with the next question, might be a good metric for how useful the posts are. I'll be bearing the results in mind and thank you for the feedback.
If you come across a tip in the future that leads you to try something new or change something up, please reply on the forum or drop me an email to let me know. I'd love, love, love to know which tips strike a chord!
Have any of the tips prompted you to contact Customer Support for help or more information?
- 56.5% No
- 34.8% Yes, one or two
- 8.7% Yes, several
I'm sure Customer Support will be glad to hear I'm not inundating them as much as I could be! They're here any time you need them, but I will continue to strive to make things clear enough on their own that no additional help will be needed.
Anything else you want us to know about forum tips? Any topic suggestions or questions?
All comments are noted! To answer a couple questions:
"I also worry that they get buried on the forums. Maybe cross-post to a separate place on the main menu next to the Key Notes Blog on the left?"
Remember that you can always browse the forum by topic to check for any overlooked threads in areas that interest you--plus, you can subscribe to topics of interest, and hold onto the notification emails until you have time to follow up!
I think a list of everything might get too long to be useful, but I will create a "best of" page to keep track of and direct people to Thursday Tips that I think will remain relevant for longer. Thanks for the suggestion, and watch for this coming up soon!
"Are they moderated for content?"
Individual posts are not moderated--they go up right away. That said, we do moderate user accounts (only people who are confirmed KLAS users have their accounts confirmed) and only logged-in users can post.
Also, I am notified of everything posted to the forums and read it right away. I may occasionally move a post that I think belongs under a different topic, so that other users can find it easier, but I will never delete someone's comment (unless it is completely, objectively inappropriate, but I trust you all not to do that to me).
What prompts you to read content on KLASusers.com?
- 71.4% I read the Weekly Wrap-up email
- 57.1% I check the site on occasion
- 9.5% I read posts when a coworker or supervisor recommends them
- 4.8% I subscribed to the forums I'm interested in
- 4.8% I check the site regularly
- 0% I use an RSS feed
Looks like the wrap-up emails are working as intended! As I've said, we'll try to keep them easy to browse through so you can quickly spot topics that might interest you.
I'm surprised that so few have subscribed to a forum... this is a fantasic and very easy feature that I'd encourage you to consider! If there are one or two topics on the forums that apply to you (maybe NLS and KLAS Core for administrators, Patron Services for RAs?) give it a try. You will receive a clearly marked email with anything that is posted to that forum. And if you decide later that you'd rather not get those emails, you can always un-subscribe.
Conclusion
Anyways, thank you again for your time! I do think this will help us make this site and our other communications better and better. Also, I hope you will all feel free to contact me any time you have requests or specific feedback.
Here's to another great year and to making KLASusers.com the great resource you all deserve!
