Click here to see the results of the survey, with the exception of the last question. Below you’ll find a sampling of the results of that question (what do you like the LEAST about Electrolicious?), with my responses.


CONTENT

  • irritating party for peace crap. If you want to support a cause, do something _unpleasant_. I’d drink a beer in the sun for Nazism.

    I’ve actually had similar issues with Dance for Peace. The best justification I’ve heard, however, is that it’s an embodiment of POSITIVE demonstration (ie demonstrating what you want) as opposed to NEGATIVE demonstration (suffering to express what you don’t want). It’s not a war against war, it’s a celebration of peace that’s supposed to act as an example. Whether you buy that logic or not is up to you.

  • I tend to tune out when I read about all the gatherings and conferences for hooping and dancing and such.
  • hooping videos.
    kidding.
    sorta.

  • I’m not so into the hooping stuff, but that’s just my own non-interest (ie, not that your writing about it sucks or anything).

    Yeah, well, you can take the girl out of the hippy rave, but you can’t take the hippy rave out of the girl… ;)


    LENGTH

  • I think your posts should be longer. I just can’t, can’t, CAN’T get enough of you!!!
  • I wish you wrote more. I really enjoy your writing.
  • You don’t post as much since you’ve got a real job
  • I really enjoy the lengthy, meatier entries more than the shorter and/or link only entries.
  • it’d be nice to see some longer pieces from you–articles or stories.

    This is just me being lazy, plus perhaps a little self-conscious. The longer entries take more time, but they also make me feel a bit more vulnerable. But I like doing them, so now that I know that some of you want more, I’ll try to do at least one or two longer entries a week. It’s good practice for me.


    CLEANLINESS

  • I LIKE the biographical/soul-searching posts the most.
  • Sometimes it feels a little clean.
  • Posts when you allude to something, but don’t let the whole enchilada out of the bag or something like that. ;)
  • Hmmm…I guess I sort of miss when you used to write more personal stuff/inner thoughts about your daily life, but I understand that when you have so many readers you probably want to protect some shred of privacy!

    This last respondant is right: as the years have gone on, this blog has gotten less and less intimate. There are times when I stumble across something in the archives and think “Holy shit! I can’t believe I published that — oh wait, that’s when only 10 people a day read my site. THAT’S why I published it.” As traffic has increased, I’m under increasing pressure to keep it clean.

    Here’s an example of why: a few months back, a good friend’s girlfriend found mentions of my friend’s former dalliances on this blog. Granted, they were interludes my friend had before they’d met, but he still got a playful grilling from his girlfriend because of something I’d written. It’s situations like that which prevent me from writing about too much personal stuff. Who wants to get their friends (or themselves!) in trouble?

    THAT SAID! If you ever read anything here that you want to know more about, you can always ALWAYS email me for lurid details. For example, while cleansing I got at least a half dozen requests from un-squeemish readers for graphic descriptions of mucoid plaque. Each of them got just what they asked for.


    DESIGN

  • The design, the more… to finish reading entries, would rather read all on front page.
  • I’m a redesign whore, so I want a new design (you’re creativity provokes mine). But this one is so functional, I can see why you’d keep it.
  • The page takes too long to load.
  • The header at the top of your pages. That’s just a matter of personal taste, though; I tend to prefer more complex layouts.
  • I think it would be nice if links opened up new windows, so I don’t have to hit the back button to try to find you again.
  • I find the links to “more” a bit confusing; also I don’t care for the categories, but to each her/his own….
  • the archives seem to be broken
  • damn archives!

    Some things I can fix:

  • The monthly archives are back (finally)
  • I’ve added a “new windows” box you can check or uncheck, depending on your tastes. I prefer NOT to have new windows all over the place, so I’ll uncheck it. It’s over there in the sidebar, in the second section.
  • As for the “MORE” thing, I used that feature of Movable Type to keep the front page from getting too cluttered. If people really don’t like it, then there’s no reason to use it.
  • As for the other design issues? I really suck at designing. If anyone who doesn’t like the design feels motivated to help me with a new one: RIGHT ON! I simply lack the skills, time, and motivation to do it. As for the slow loading? I have no idea.

  • PERSONAL

  • you use to seem snobby/bitchy/elitist to me
  • But sometimes you can come off as harsh and mean, especially in your comments. Sometimes it’s understandable, of course, but there are other times where I think your replies aren’t meant to be mean but because of the lack of tone on the web, they can be read as such.

    These are very interesting, because both commenters tried to be gentle…one puts it in past tense, and the other qualifies that maybe I don’t intend to sound so harsh. While I appreciate the kindness of these survey respondants, the truth is this: it is not a factor of the internet that I come off as bitchy, mean, judgemental, elitist, or harsh. Sometimes I am all of those things in person, too. I tend to be impatient with other’s flaws, quick to judge, and stingey with my time. This means that if you rub me the wrong way, I get real short with you, real fast. I offer no excuses, but just figured it would be worth getting it out there that yes, I am a twat sometimes. It’s true.


    OTHERS

  • If I were to say one thing, it would be the referal to the book ‘the ethical slut‘. I only say this because I think since you have lovely things to say about your S.O., it kinda lessens the impact of his relevance in your life.

    I won’t get into laborious discussions of polyamory, but I will say this: The Ethical Slut is an amazing relationship book for all couples, straight, gay, bi, poly, monogamous, everyone. If you get jealous (which, let’s be honest: is you, and you, and you, and me, and everyone else), you can learn a lot from this book. I recommend not the lifestyle, but the lessons.

  • The only thing that bugs me is the occasional misspellings - which I know is kind of a lame comment, it’s just that (given your love of working with words) it undermines your authority.

    This is very true. I’m hoping that Movable Type adds a spell check feature one of these days, cuz I’m too damn lazy to copy and past, er paste (Heidi just pointed out the irony of making a typo while discussing typos) into Word. That said, remember that a blog is a trade-off: you get instant gratification, but the cost is that it’s a bit rough around the edges.

    THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED!