Who Are You? (BlueOregon Reader Survey)

blueoregon admin

This fall, we asked BlueOregon readers to participate in a survey to find out a little bit about who you are and how you use the site.  Because we didn't survey a random sample of you--you self-selected yourselves--the results are not scientific, but they are fascinating.   In all, 342 of you took the survey, which is a relatively small proportion of the 3,000+ visits (6,000+ page views) we get on an average day, but still a sizeable sample.  Thanks much to those of you who took the time to fill it out--in addition to the demographics, you gave insightful and useful advice about how to improve the site. 

Highlights are immediately below, and complete results are available below the break.

Full details follow.

Reader Demographics

Media Consumption

About BlueOregon

We asked several questions about how you use BlueOregon and which features you like best and least.  We will take those results and try to fine-tune the site.  In addition, we threw out a few open-ended questions and asked what you thought.  While it's not worth reprinting hundreds of responses, some themes did emerge.

What do you like best about BlueOregon?

What do you like least about BlueOregon?

What features should we add to BlueOregon?

This was one of the richest sections of the survey, and responses demonstrate exactly why BlueOregon is such a good site--readers are smart and have great ideas.  Below is a sampling of some of the ideas.

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    I like registration where it's not mandatory. That way those of us who use the same name over and over can register, give a bit of info about us if we'd like, etc.

  • Bill R. (unverified)
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    Relevancy? Looking at the blog entries, how relevant is this site? We're at the height of an election with crucial consequences for the state, the country, and the world. And we're talking about what "Draft Gore in '08" Sheesh... This site should be the Daily Kos of Oregon, a forum for progressives to communicate and network over the immediate issues, local and national, and electioneering.

  • (Show?)

    Woot! LO--"Most popular non-BlueO blog among BlueO readers!"

    By the way, 2005 median HH income in Oregon was $44,159, just to be more precise than the US figure.

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    Man, I hate to be out-wonked--good job on that median OREGON figure, though. Maybe there's a reason why Loaded has garned some eyeballs.

  • jami (unverified)
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    i'm surprised about the male/female disparities, both real and perceived, in the survey, and not so surprised about the race disparity. hopefully participation in politics by non-white people and women keeps increasing.

    voluntary user registration is a good idea, jenni. i wouldn't use it and i wouldn't want it to be mandatory -- i don't even read kos because his registration process is so effing clunky and the ability to comment is important to me. gimme atrios' wild commentariat abandon any day.

    but if people want to register, that seems reasonable so long as lazies like me aren't required to.

  • (Show?)

    Looking at the blog entries, how relevant is this site?

    Dude, Bill... Scroll down. You might be the only guy in Oregon who thinks we're not covering Saxton enough.

  • (Show?)

    "Looking at the blog entries, how relevant is this site? We're at the height of an election with crucial consequences for the state, the country, and the world. And we're talking about what "Draft Gore in '08" Sheesh..."

    Wha?!?!?!? [Does the Jon Stewart two-fisted eyeball rub.]

    The recent posts on BlueOregon are overwhelmingly directly related to the upcoming election. You're bent out of shape because ONE post is about something else? A something else that is based on an upcoming local event at that? Next time my family hassles me about my tendency to over-focus, I'm going to point them to this comment.

  • (Show?)

    i'm surprised about the male/female disparities, both real and perceived, in the survey...

    Keep in mind that this isn't a scientific survey. Could be that we have exactly equal readership, but men like to fill out surveys more than women. However, given what we heard about needing more women writers, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that we're tilting male. I think that's why we do these things--to find out what we need to do to improve.

  • BlueNote (unverified)
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    I have what I believe is a legitimate quesion, which is - is this forum dedicated to liberal and progressive views, or is this forum a mouthpiece for the Democratic party?

    If your mission is to act as a cheerleader for Democratic Party candidates, that is a legitimate and worthy goal, but it is also somewhat inconsistent with your announced purpose of being a forum for PROGRESSIVE viewpoints, unless your definition of progressive is based upon a public opinon poll taken in eastern Texas (where they believe Jesus was a bit too liberal for their church).

    Stop the War Now!

  • (Show?)

    I have what I believe is a legitimate quesion, which is - is this forum dedicated to liberal and progressive views, or is this forum a mouthpiece for the Democratic party?

    The former. I am, however, aware that there are many different definitions for the word "progressive". This is something I deal with every single day over another site I run, LeftyBlogs.com - where it is definitely true that "lefty" means one thing in San Francisco and another in Tulsa.

    In any case, we've had plenty of conversations here about various non-Democrat points of view - including posts about Green candidates, the Working Family Party, and many many posts that are about an issue, not a party.

    And above all else: If you're unhappy with the content mix, I strongly encourage you to use the "guest column" button. It's there for a reason.

  • (Show?)

    we definitely need more women as regular contributors. there are plenty of us white males to spare (some of us are so brilliant and insightful, it matters not what flavor we be). given that Oregon is not the most diverse state in the union, we don't do too bad in terms of ethnicity, but it would be great to get more contributions from different "kinds" of people. for example, i'd be very interested to read the thoughts & experiences of immigrants, Muslim (women, especially), Native Americans, etc. i think BO is a great site, and i know Kari will keep it going in the right direction.

  • YoungerVoice (unverified)
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    I love a good debate, and am sorry that I missed this initial survey when it came out-- I would have enjoyed filling it out. :)

    I enjoy blueoregon.com, because I can actually comment, and learn a different perspective on things. While my political ideology differs from the majority on blueoregon a civil exchange of ideas is always worthwhile. I often lurk here, but I'd like to post more often and get to know fellow posters.

    Please remember, I don't come here to cause trouble, and I'm certainly not seeking personal insults(as was so kindly granted me on another topic). If we disagree, I'm a firm believer in civility-- goes a long way in helping to make your point.

  • (Show?)

    YV -- you're always welcome here. Reasonable, respectful conversations that include multiple points of view are welcome.

    It's the jerk who come over to piss all over the furniture that aren't.

  • YoungerVoice (unverified)
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    It's the jerk who come over to piss all over the furniture that aren't.

    <h2>o.O... with that lovely word picture I think I'll reconsider making myself at home on your couch. ;)</h2>

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