Survey Results (And How I’m Addressing Them)

Wow. Thank you everyone who took the time to fill out the blog feedback survey, or send me an email with your thoughts. I’ve reviewed them all so far, and will keep the survey open for anyone else who would like to send feedback at any time.

>>Click here to take survey<<

First, let me say how vulnerable I’ve felt throughout this entire process. Asking for and accepting feedback is a daunting task. It seriously took me the whole weekend to get the courage to click on the results and face the fact that there may be some criticism in there. It’s like getting a performance review from your manager, which never really happens when you’re self employed. Realistically, I haven’t had a thorough performance review from anyone but myself in 3 years, so these surveys and asking for feedback have come at a right time. Dealing with the truth and opinions of others can feel intimidating, but it’s all a part of being an effective freelancer.

The truth? The survey results were wonderful!

I’ve learned that a majority of blog readers are truly here for photography tips and advice, and I’ll definitely be catering to those topics in my content going forward.

Now, on to the survey results. Taking feedback into consideration. Here are my responses:

1) More photography tutorials.

I’ll try. While the most popular posts on this blog are definitely related to photography tips and tricks, I’ve since become a regular contributing writer to Digital Photography School (DPS). Now, most of my technical photography posts are written there. The one type of content that DPS doesn’t typically publish much of are articles on how to run a photography business. That is what I’ll strive to write more of here. If you’re seeking more technical photography skills, I really recommend following DPS.

2) More Freelancing 101 content.

I started this blog with the intent of educating and helping others achieve their dreams of becoming a freelancer, and there is a lot of 101 content on the site. The problem is that content is often hard to find. My solution has been the improved “Start Here” page, which now lists out my 9 Step Process to Becoming a Freelancer, along with links to specific articles to help you get there.

3) More contact with readers.

When I was younger, I had a number of pen pals across the U.S. and even internationally. These were legit pen and paper, use a stamp and envelope, and wait weeks for a reply type of pen pals. Even then, I had a fascination with other people I hadn’t yet met, and a strong desire to connect with them. Today, I am taking that same idea of a pen pal service by encouraging you to share more of yourself with me. Whether it’s your life story, a random thought or question, or a cool piece of content out there you’d like to share, please feel free to shoot me an email at any time. I won’t publish any part of our conversation on the blog without your permission. I’m calling this “Talking Story,” in tribute to my grandmother who just passed away and loved to talk story with all of her friends.

4) The Start of the Monthly Email Newsletter!

Right now, I rely on an email subscription that is set to send you a new email every time I publish a new blog post (right now, that happens about once a week). I’ll keep this email subscription open as an option, but am also debuting a new email subscription list that will only hit your inbox once a month. It will never be spam, only a recap of all the posts I’ve published for the month. You can sign up for it below.

Subscription Model A: Get Notified Whenever I Post a New Blog