All this talk at the Daily Post about the Community Pool made me realize how long it’s been since I touched base with my readers.
I hope this blog encourages an open forum– you can complain, compliment, suggest, or critique at will! I also try to provide my email address every so often so you have a direct route to me.
Still, sometimes these things fall between the cracks. With my normal over-exuberance, I started creating a million polls for you to fill out, but decided all of them came down to this one core concept:
I want you to be as happy with my blog as I am.
I do prioritize my own sense of happiness in regards to this blog, because I want to be motivated to wake up and post something– but I love you, and I want to make sure I’m listening to your ideas, too!
So here’s the only poll that really matters:
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The Daily Post also suggested asking for specific feedback. If you’re in the mood to lend me a bit of your magnificent mind, I’d love to know any or all of these things:
- What is the best way for me to ask for your feedback? Ideas so far: A permanent poll or feedback form somewhere, an official survey, semi-regular posts like this, individual emails.
- What is something you would like to see more of on Rarasaur?
- What is something you would like to see less of on Rarasaur?
- What can I do to improve site organization?
- Would you visit my blogroll sites if I had a blogroll?
- If I had a blogroll, would it make more sense for it to be organized by blog topic, or by blogger style?
- Do you find the additional social media platforms (Pinterest, Twitter) helpful, annoying, limited, or unnecessary?
- How many posts a day are just too many? For those who have been following for a while, you know that sometimes I can go nuts! The response always seems positive, but I don’t want people secretly throwing darts at pictures of dinosaurs because I’m filling up their inbox with too many doses of crazy.
- Would you like to see more of me? I realized today how many of my favorite bloggers show their own face, and answer specific questions about themselves. I don’t, only because I think how I look is the most boring thing about me, but if it helps people connect more, why not?
- Is there any writing prompt or blogger challenge that you’d like to see me participate in?
- Is there anything else you’d like to get off your chest?
Aren’t you kust the creative one! Your talents for even doing the vote ‘thingy’ amaze me..alas I am not tech savvy.
I find other platforms annoying. Feed-back semi reg posts like this. More of on Rawr? – putting out writing challenges perhaps – for me I love them and I am sure their are others that would. To put something on our post and link back with the ‘thingy’. Something less? Nup can’t think of anything. Improve? Your site is fine by me. Erm..what exactly is a blog roll 
Next question..need answer to the prior question 
I think posts depend on our moods, sometimes I do 7 in a sitting..because my brain lets me go there..yes prolific and sometimes my followers would be screaming ahhhh at their inbox – but take it or leave it that’s me. So I think that question, only you can answer. Hmm yes tell me a little more about you – write prose/poetry? Let me see who Rawr is behind the dinosaur.
Hopefully I have helped, if I haven’t I profusely apologise for my lengthy, non committed, obscure response. xx
Last question? I’ve had a shit day at the office.
haha, the poll is easy to do on WordPress. Just go to your dashboard, go to Feedback, and go to polls. From there, it’s just “fill in the blank”.
Ooh, I never thought about putting out a writing challenge, but that would be so much fun! 
A blogroll is a list of blogs I follow. I want to do this because I want to give credit to the people who give me reading enjoyment, but after about 50 blogs, the list has less value. But I follow over 2k blogs. The ones I’d recommend off the top of my head have nothing really in common… so the blogroll thing always gets me stuck. 
I hope your day at the office either got better, or got wiped from your memory by the beauty of the hours that followed! 
Thank you so much for taking the time to offer your insights, great ideas, and help!!!
You are welcome – I am stuttering you follow 2000 blogs???? How do you have the time to keep up? I struggle with who I follow
Voted for the monkey, although, of course, i’d never really buy you a monkey
haha! Wow, you’re not the only one it looks like– no one wants me to have a monkey.
Oh, and thank you for your vote of happiness!
I`d buy you a monkey any Rara! You can post 100 blogs a day and I’d still read it. Super fun to read. So, I just have question…When is the next Acme Detective challenge?
As for social media, we’ve being doing that experiment among a few bloggers, exploring new ways to get a few more views. Twitter and FB most people have. I do have a Pinterest account and starting pinning things this week to see what responses. Nothing too crazy but man, Reddit is a weird little social media platform but it can be super efficient for views. And Stumbleupon, I had more fun stumbling than getting anything else out of it, but hey, learning new sites is always cool
Point is, you are awesomeness Rara. You can stay just way you are and I’d come back to read any posts you have
Yayyy! Ooh, soon! Do you want to help coordinate the next one? No worries if you’d rather be a sleuth, I’m just looking for some people who have a different pool of followers so we can really make waves.
My blogger quiz gets views from Stumble Upon, but I don’t have a lot of other things that I think random stumblers would want to see. Pinterest is mostly for myself, and I’ve set up twitter to be minimal effort… but I gave up my personal FB, so I don’t have any plans to start a Rarasaur FB… but I get a strange number of searches for “rarasaur facebook”, haha! Thanks for your vote of happiness, Kim!
Definitely, if I could help, I’d be glad to
Just drop me an email and we can talk about it! Sounds like awesomeness!
Yeah, my FB is just personal and I haven’t gone to the extent of wanting to open one for my blog. Already not a big fan of FB to begin with..haha!
You wouldn’t really want a monkey, they are not as nice as you might think. Personally, I understand why you are looking for feedback. To me though, what I love about your blog is that it is a great reflection of you. I learn about who you are and your experiences, some I relate to , some I am inspired by all are interesting to read because they come from you. I would caution you from getting away from doing whatever is in your heart. You and your ideas are what this is about. I wouldn’t want you to create things that aren’t a reflection of who your are. Do what you want, but I vote for no poll and that you just write and create what is in your mind and heart. People will love that. It hasn’t hurt you so far. Thank you for being the fantastic person you are.
What about the tiny monkeys? Even if they’re mean, they can’t be that bad? Surely? Oh, I don’t want to change the format of my blog– I don’t think I could even if people wanted me too… I’m all over the place all the time. I once considered having multiple blogs, but so many things I do are “crossovers”. Is it geek, or is it diabetes, is it literature, or is a product review? Etc. But there’s a lot of things I like to write about and I don’t mind scheduling them for certain days, or doing more of them if people are curious. I can’t guarantee anything, but at least I can keep it in mind on those days that I have 9 things I want to post about– I can pick the one people asked for.
Thank you for vote of happiness, and all your kind words!!!
I would of course buy you a monkey but isn’t this a little flawed? I mean if people are so unhappy they’d step on your tail, wouldn’t they just un-follow you and not come back? By the way, I think the way you write and the fact you choose to talk about what’s on your mind/in your life/pulling at your heart strings is exactly what makes this blog so great – i feel like I kinda know you, while not knowing you at all.. and because you seem like such an interesting person I just wanna know more!! So I guess all I’d say is don’t stop doing what you’re doing!
woah that’s terrible blogosphere hate!! i hope people who don’t like mine just quietly leave and don’t return. their loss for not liking your blog anyway!
I have a sweet mechanical monkey, will that do? (Fair warning: It’s kinda like a furby and once you start it it won’t shut up) I’d like more pikkies of your little mush, you camera shy dino.
I’ve seen a picture of it on your blog… right?! It’s so cute. I love monkeys.
More pictures it is. I’m not really camera shy, or trying to hide my identity… I just never think to post a picture of me.
I voted other: monkeys are weird, I would give you a penguin. Here are the answers I can provide to your questions:
•What is the best way for me to ask for your feedback? I think just reading your comments or emails and taking cues, if any, from there.
•What is something you would like to see more of on Rarasaur? Hot guys, preferably those who are single, like chubby redheads and live near VA. Or maybe just more artwork.
•If I had a blogroll, would it make more sense for it to be organized by blog topic, or by blogger style? Style. Too many options for topic, unless you want to cross index!
•Do you find the additional social media platforms (Pinterest, Twitter) helpful, annoying, limited, or unnecessary? Pinterest is annoying. Has nothing to do with your blog, just dislike it in general. I like Twitter, maybe a little too much.
•How many posts a day are just too many? I can choose to read or not read, it is about what you need or want to write.
•Would you like to see more of me? Up to you, that is for some the line between fairly anonymous and “OMG, you’re Rarasaur!” when you are in the grocery store.
•Is there any writing prompt or blogger challenge that you’d like to see me participate in? No, but I would like your ideas on prompts on the days the DP is “what is your favorite dinner?”
This response is amazing, you’re always so impressive in the organization of your thoughts!
My family is in VA, I could probably get them to take some pictures of hotties for me, haha! 
Thank you for the quick answer on blogrolls. That’s my gut, too, but I don’t necessarily know if I want to typecast people either A lot of people put me in a humor blog list, which makes me laugh because I always tell people that I’m not funny at all. I mean, I think a lot of things are funny, but in real life, I’m really not a comedian or anything. 
I don’t think I have nearly enough followers to get recognized in a grocery store, but that would be awesome. There isn’t anything on my blog I wouldn’t let my mom read, so I figure it’s safe for strangers, too. My favorite dinner is breakfast. Too easy. 
I just take the prompt and imagine that I started that conversation with my husband… and think about what we would be talking about after half an hour and write about that. Like in that case, it’d be “What would you eat for dinner if someone else had to feed it to you, and it was 3 days old, and it was cooked by the worst cook in the world?” That’s a much more interesting answer. 
It looks like the deliberatedonkey blog, which I saw on another reply, has the blogroll broken down into (generally) changers, survivors, laughers and writers (including you!). Of course nobody will ever be in just one category, except maybe photo or fiction blogs, but those might be general enough.
If I were to have a blogroll, I would break it down by mood: When you need a laugh, When you are bored at work, When you need a shoulder, When you need an idea for dinner, etc. And then I would change them around willy-nilly to keep everyone on their toes.
That’s how I sort it in my mind, too! It’s how I read them, as well… I try to end the night on the blogs that make me laugh. But I’d inevitably change them up because it’s often the funniest writers who write something really soul-shaking, and the deep writers who write something that cracks me up beyond all belief. Ah, people are so versatile. It’s beautiful!
Mine are separated into Ex-patriate blogs, pop culture blogs, and awesome people.
I’d do other categories if I had more blogs linked who don’t fit in the first three. I used to have a category for atheist blogs, but I found over time that even though I agree with most of their viewpoints, I find atheist bloggers to be wearying to read. (Just like listening to talk radio. It makes me AngrySteven.)
Thanks for the ideas, guys– y’all are genius. (And Steven– I’m glad you’ve opted for HappySteven… he’s way cooler.
)
Maybe the solution then is a “postroll”. Choose the ones that speak to you, then you can still mix it up as needed. Either way, good luck!
Dearest Rara,
I like everything here just the way it is. That’s why I keep reading. Keep being you and I’ll keep on coming back.
Dearest TD– thank you.
You’re quite welcome.
Rara,
I’ll get you a monkey if that’s what you want, but it seems like a silly present/pet for a dinosaur… I mean, wouldn’t you be worried about accidently squishing it? How about something a bit bigger, like a pet tiger?
There is nothing you need to change for me. Your blog (RaraLand, The Land of the Rarasaur, Rarasaur’s Conquest, Rara vs. Godzilla – Rara wins in the first round) was the first blog I specifically memorized the address for so I wouldn’t have to search for you. As our favorite Storm Trooper said above – “Keeping being you and I’ll keep coming back.” (You know, for a storm trooper he seems to have a way with words the rest in his profession lack… have you noticed that?)
To wrap this up: you’re wonderful!
Nah, he’d ride on my back.
A tiger might bite me, and that would be sad! 
I know, TD is quite articulate for anyone, let alone a storm trooper, haha! 
Thank you for your thoughts and kind words, Matt!
Well, see, I had thought about the monkey being a companion to ride on your back – but I didn’t want to say that because of the whole “monkey on your back” reference, and because I didn’t want to presume that you’d be okay with having anyone or anything ride on you. (I was picturing a world with dragons and wondering if they are actually okay with becoming a mode of tranportion for lesser beings…)
hahaha!! It’s true! I always wondered about that myself… but then I moved to a farm and I saw how sad the horses got when someone didn’t ride on them. They’d get… well… depressed. There’s no other word for it. It must have something to do with having purpose, even if it’s purpose for a lesser being!
See! That’s something I didn’t know about horses – learn something new every day? check that one off the list – and now I will have no problem getting you that monkey.
I like the idea of a mechanical monkey, Bubo-style.
I think you have to make your own decisions about things like pictures of yourself- some people prefer the privacy more. My own stance has always been one of very few secrets. I don’t post my banking info or my personal address, but I do put pictures of myself up from time to time. A little bit goes a long way, I think. (Also, I’m rarely on that side of the lens- usually I’m the one *taking* the picture.)
Mechanical monkeys are hit or miss, some are fantastically adorable… and some can give ya nightmares.
I only don’t post pictures because, to me, it’s boring. I look exactly like I tell people I look– like an average sized, non descript, brown girl. But I realized the other day that it doesn’t really matter what people look like, I just like seeing their faces every once in awhile. It’s very humanizing.
My question to you is…Why change anything? It seems to work for you what you are doing now. Just being you. It’s YOUR blog, not ours. We have our own to do with what we want. Stay the rara we all know and love. The cliche saying is so true you know. “If you try to please everyone, no one will be pleased.”
I’m not trying to change anything.
Feedback and critiques are always good to hear, and there are some things that might add a lot of value to my readers that I just don’t do because I don’t think about it, not because I am against it or don’t have time. I notice this a lot when I read other people’s blogs– sometimes I really wish they had an easy to access archive, or a more obvious search button, or used a bigger font, or stopped using yellow as a font title color, or wrote more about a certain category of thing. 
Thanks for your advice, Jackie!!
Ahhhh, I see now what you were getting at. My mistake thinking you wanted change. whew, thought I was going to lose you!
No, it was my mistake… putting this post right after the blog deleting post concerned people, haha. I forget sometimes that people can’t see into my mind,
By the way, Jackie– I had sent you an email about guest posting before my party week and it just came back to me, so I guess you didn’t get it. Not sure, why, though… the email I have for you is still good, right?
Well darn it! yes the email is good. Try again if you want to that is. Huh, my email has been weird a bit lately. You can try my other one too, its…..jrpbooks AT mail DOT com…….I would have been so honored to!
I voted to get you a monkey (so now I have to go find one)
I like things the way they are, you know how that song goes ‘don’t go changin’
haha, that’s alright. I’m happy with the theoretical monkey.
Thanks for your input!
You are brave, I don’t want to know, I can’t take criticism, LOL
haha, aw, criticism is usually constructive… and constructive criticism makes things better.
Well… ideally. 
Be yourself.
Hi, I love your blog.
Posts like this are great for feedback, but I did get your e-mail as well, which probably made me more likely to come here and comment.
I think you should post what you like. I get notifications on e-mail and I follow you on twitter. If there is something that doesn’t interest me as much, I don’t read it. I don’t think you should take that as criticism, it’s just that we share a lot of interests, but not all. I’m cool with that, I hope you can be too, because honestly, I’d hate to see you change because of me.
I think your organization of this site is just swell
I don’t usually check blogrolls, so I probably wouldn’t check yours.
I’m fine with as many platforms as you want to have. I’ll visit you on the ones I also use.
Post what you want when you want. One of the things I like about seeing other people’s blogs is their creativity. I “like” a lot. Sometimes just because I love that people are sharing the creative side of themselves. I do limit the amount of time I spend looking at blogs, but that shouldn’t stop you or limit your content. I also think you should stick with sharing whatever you want. If you would like to show more of yourself that is fine as long as you are comfortable with it.
Thank you for taking the time to address all my little questions.
I’m glad the organization works for you and it’s interesting from the feedback to see that most of y’all click here from email notification. Thank you again– everything you said makes perfect sense and is very encouraging! 
Dear Raur,
I love you blog. I can’t always get to every post — lately that’s been true with a lot of my favs though, so don’t take it personally.
Write what you like, what you want. We’ll follow. Sometimes we won’t get to them all. But the writing is for you as well as for us.
I like your blog! You could blog 20 times a day if you want & I would read them all. I might get behind sometimes but I usually manage to get caught up. I think the best way to find out what people do & don’t like about your blog is to encourage them to write comments. I have always told people I invite your criticism because it helps me grow.
Oh thank you!
I’m like you about criticism… I actually really like it. Sometimes I don’t agree, and that’s that… but most of the time, it’s stuff I don’t mind doing to make someone else’s life easier and my blog easier to read. Thanks for your thoughts!!