![There is probably no [superstition]. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life](http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad171/crispianjago/Probably-No.gif "There is probably no [superstition]. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life")
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So, as you may have heard, I had a second little survey running for the last two weeks wherein I probed my readers for some of their personal information and what they thought of this blog. Although I didn’t get quite as many responders as I hoped or expected (last year’s survey received 18; this one closed with only 12), I suppose I should be happy twelve readers actually took the time to fill out the little questionnaire, so … yay!
Now, of course, keep in mind that with only 12 entries, this is in no way to be considered a definitive, balanced and reliable overview of exactly what sort of demographics comprise my readership. For all I know, it could be Gaytopia around here. (Which would please me endlessly, for some reason.) So, yeah, usual boilerplate disclaimer about this not being a scientific poll and yadda yadda yadda.
Here are the results, below. (Click the graphs for full-size versions.)
01) What is your age?
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| Results: “30—34”: 2 (16.67%) | “25—29”: 2 (16.67%) | “20—24”: 2 (16.67%) | “44—44”: 2 (16.67%) | “45—49”: 1 (8.33%) | “60—64”: 1 (8.33%) | “35—39”: 1 (8.33%) | “15—19”: 1 (8.33%) | “65 and older”: 0 (0%) | “55—59”: 0 (0%) | “50–54”: 0 (0) | “14 and under”: 0 (0) [full size (982×541)] |
Once again, these results aren’t too unexpected, with the average reader being about 34 years old. I am once more surprised (and somewhat pleased) to find myself amongst the minority in my age group, as I am wont to be. I’m also (again) impressed at having at least one senior reader. Dang, someone with over three times my lifespan thinks I’m worth reading! (Can I brag about it?)
Additional comments:
“fuck that” [Answered “20—24”.]
“Damn that makes me feel old.” [Answered “30—34”.]
“Sometimes I'm 12 in my head.” [Answered “40—44”.]
I tell ya, some people just gotta gripe. ;-)
02) What is your sex/gender?
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| Results: “Male”: 6 (50%) | “Female”: 6 (50%) | “Other Option”: 0 (0%) | “Transgender”: 0 (0%) [full size (982×270)] |
Wee, I got a perfectly egalitarian rating! (Oy, you nags pointing out how 12 responders isn’t a big enough sample size to adequately judge from: Shut up, you ego-puncturing meanies.)
Additional comments:
“but i don't act like it on the internets” [Answered “Male”.]
And I hope you never do, Fluffy.
03) What is your sexual/gender identity?
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| Results: “Exclusively heterosexual”: 7 (58.33%) | “Mostly heterosexual, occasionally homosexual”: 2 (16.67%) | “Pansexual/Omnisexual”: 2 (16.67%) | “Mostly heterosexual, rarely homosexual”: 1 (8.33%) | “Other Option”: 0 (0%) | “Asexual”: 0 (0%) | “Uncertain”: 0 (0%) | “Mostly homosexual, rarely heterosexual”: 0 (0%) | “Bisexual”: 0 (0%) | “Mostly homosexual, occasionally heterosexual”: 0 (0%) | “Exclusively homosexual”: 0 (0%) [full size (982×508)] |
Well, so much for Gaytopia … (As far as I know, anyway.) I’m happy to have attracted two pan-/omnixesuals, though. How cool is that? And both of them left an additional comment:
“i'll fuck almost anything :D” [Answered “Pansexual/Omnisexual”.]
“I love the person, not the plumbing.” [Answered “Pansexual/Omnisexual”.]
… Okay, looks half my omnisexual readership is a dirty perv. Eh, good enough. :3
04) What are/were your religious/spiritual beliefs?
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| Results: “Atheism”: 9 (56.25%) | “Christianity”: 2 (12.5%) | “Judaism”: 2 (12.5%) | “Agnosticism”: 2 (12.5%) | “Other Option”: 1 (6.25%) | “Jehovah’s Witnesses”: 0 (0%) | “Buddhism”: 0 (0%) | “Islam”: 0 (0%) | “Mormonism”: 0 (0%) [full size (982×451)] |
Other Responses:
“United Methodist” [Also answered “Atheism” and “Agnosticism”.]
Again, some rather unsurprising but nonetheless satisfying results: Most are godless, though some used to be Christian or Jewish. I’m surprised, though, that so few people selected “Agnosticism”. Seems like they’re a dying breed. (Personally, I view agnosticism as one’s position on knowledge, while atheism is a position of belief. In that respect, the vast majority of atheists are also agnostic, and pretty much every agnostic is, by default, an atheist.)
Additional comments:
“prove it to me, bitches” [Answered “Agnosticism”.]
“Brought up as a Roman Catholic.” [Answered “Atheism”.]
“Raised Catholic, then started thinking about it. Drew the obvious conclusion.” [Answered “Atheism” and “Christianity”.]
“I'm a preacher's kid, niece, granddaughter, sister. I guess it runs in the family. I have no interest in attending church. Even though my family is of the laid-back Protestant bent, I have a lot of hard feelings (and a lot of disdain) toward evangelical and otherwise hardcore Christian people.” [Answered “Atheism”, “Agnosticism”, and Other: “United Methodist”.]
So do many of us, a sentiment that only increases with time. I don’t actually hate religious people, even the fundies … but I would certainly enjoy it if they ever embraced actual enlightenment someday. And stopped persecuting anyone who didn’t share their loony faith.
05) What is/are your general socio-political belief(s)/ideology(s)?
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| Results: “Liberal (moderate)”: 7 (36.84%) | “Progressive”: 5 (26.32%) | “Liberal (staunch)”: 4 (21.05%) | “Socialist”: 2 (10.53%) | “Conservative (moderate)”: 1 (5.26%) | “Don’t know / Don’t care”: 0 (0%) | “Other Option”: 0 (0%) | “Conservative (staunch)”: 0 (0%) | “Libertarian”: 0 (0%) | “Anarchist”: 0 (0%) [full size (982×474)] |
Okay, so this may not be Gaytopia, but Liberaland, yes! (Oh, shuddup, Alan Colmes.) In fact, the only conservative who answered is (unless I’m mistaken) an anti-evolution preacher (see his comments, further below) who I believe was just passing through. So we’ll all be able to return to our drug-fueled New Age orgy momentarily.
Additional comments:
“free ice creams for all o.o” [Answered “Liberal (moderate)”.]
“That's the dominant one (and my comfort zone) but I occasionally have flashes further to the right particularly when I'm fed up with my fellow humans.” [Answered “Liberal (moderate)”.]
“I hovered over Socialist for a minute. It seems obvious to me that the free market is the best solution to problems that it can handle (resource allocation and work incentives) so I can't go full socialist, but I still think a strong (democratic) government is necessary for infrastructure (roads, fire protection, etc.) and human rights.” [Answered “Liberal (moderate)” and “Progressive”.]
“I am socially very liberal, but I also understand fiscal conservatism. I also have lived in a European country, and jokingly call myself a Socialist. I've seen too many benefits of capitalism to truly be a Socialist, though.
The Republican party in the US is on the verge of a breakdown, I feel. It's full of complete nutjobs. Ahem. (And yet, I agreed with three things Rand Paul said on The Daily Show a couple of weeks ago. It shocked the shit out of me.)” [Answered “Liberal (moderate)” and “Progressive”.]
I do so love reading these kinds of intelligent comments. (Though, free ice creams is fun, too.)
06) How did you first find Preliator?
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| Results: “Other Option”: 5 (41.67%) | “Twitter”: 3 (25%) | “Mojoey’s Atheist Blogroll”: 2 (16.67%) | “Referred by a friend”: 1 (8.33%) | “‘Please Don’t Label Me’ campaign”: 1 (8.33%) | “Google (or other search engine)”: 0 (0%) | “Facebook (or other social networking site/service)”: 0 (0%) [full size (982×372)] |
Other Responses:
“Creation vs. Evolution”
“I don't remember... weird eh?”
“commonsenseatheism blogroll”
“Pretty sure it was through Ian (Diaphanus).”
“I can't remember”
Nothing much to add here, other than I personally can’t remember how I found any of the blogs I follow, really. Or almost, anyway. I know Google had lots to do with it, at least.
Additional comments:
“i'll say. how about the guy who first found my porn in the first place!” [Answered “Referred by a friend”.]
… *cough*
07) How much do you like the topics discussed on Preliator?
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Yes, folks … some people actually don’t like pictures of cute animals. The world is a scary place.
08) What is your overall appreciation of Preliator?
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| Results: “Very good (8)”: 7 (58.33%) | “Neutral/Passable (5)”: 2 (16.67%) | “Excellent (9)”: 2 (16.67%) | “Okay (6)”: 1 (8.33%) | “Rather be stuck at a nuclear detonation site (0)”: 0 (0%) | “Horrible (1)”: 0 (0%) | “Very bad (2)”: 0 (0%) | “Mediocre (4)”: 0 (0%) | “Good (7)”: 0 (0%) | “Want to marry you (10)”: 0 (0%) | “Bad (3)”: 0 (0%) [full size (982×508)] |
Now I feel loved. (Or my blog does, anyway. Or would, if it were sentient. Hmm … “Sentient Blogs”. Anyone else see a movie or musical being made out of that?)
Additional comments:
“Hey it's Jaki and I appreciate you!” [Answered “Very good (8)”.]
“as an old lady says to an auditorium after she dumps; "it depends" =3” [Answered “Okay (6)”.]
“You're the only blog I read regularly.” [Answered “Very good (8)”.]
I may have been creeped out by that random bozo with the incomprehensible joke (said I affectionately), but my heart was re-warmed with gusto at that last one. Flattered, I am, truly. (And I, you, Jaki!)
09) What do you think would improve Preliator?
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| Results: “No answer”: 7 (58.33%) | “Writing style”: 2 (16.67%) | “Blog layout”: 2 (16.67%) | “Other Option”: 1 (8.33%) [full size (982×281)] |
Other Responses:
“More honest, less attacks.” [Also answered “Writing style”.]
I’m not entirely sure how much more honest I can be, given that I already write exactly what I think, how I think it (albeit with a bit of tidying up). But then, this came from the same (presumed) evolution-denying pastor as above, so there isn’t much worth saying about that, in the end.
Other than that, it’s nice to see that few people had any real complaints about the blog or my writings, though some did take the time to voice some concerns:
“Think things through more before posting.” [Answered “Writing style”.]
“Too bright.” [Answered “Blog layout”.]
“needs moar cowbell” [Answered “No answer”.]
“It would be nice if I could stop the mobile version automatically loading when I view from my iPhone. Churlish of me, I know, when you've gone to all the trouble of providing a web version....” [Answered “No answer”.]
“Different coloring might look better.” [Answered “Blog layout”.]
“I read you in Google Reader, so only see your site if I choose to comment. It's fine; you are doing a good job, and you write well. I only checked writing style because the survey made me.” [Answered “Writing style”.]
Regarding the brightness, I changed the hues a bit this morning to try and increase some of the contrast and color depth. It’s not much of a difference, but it might hopefully be a bit easier on the eyes. And I’m quite attached to the blue layout, so sorry, but that’s not changing … at least, not for a while yet.
Regarding mobile browsing, I actually enacted the Blogger mobile templates myself a while back, though I can’t preview it, myself, lacking a phone with a Net browser. In response to the above request, I have now disabled mobile comments, ensuring that the blog should load as I customized regardless of browser type. If anyone has any feedback or issues to share, please let me know in the comments.
And finally, that all-too-often skipped final box:
10) Miscellaneous suggestions or feedback
To answer one at a time:
“Trying to find a place with honest debate, less attacks and nonsense.”
“now i feel horny o.o”
“why no video of you horse-riding? :-)”
Firstly, there can be no real “debate” if I have no commenters to debate with (sadness), but the attacks will certainly continue so long as theists continue bullshitting all over science and society.
Secondly, I … have some very weird friends. (Birds of a feather, so it seems.)
And thirdly, that request was sent the very day I actually took my first (and currently only) video of my dear Charlotte as I walked her around the arena (sans me atop her, though I did take some pics of that as well). Happy? ;-)
Overall, given the low turnout compared to the blog’s readership (currently showing 64 RSS subscribers and over 100 daily unique visitors on average, in addition to my nearly 300 followers on Twitter, where I publish all of my posts as soon as they go up), I wonder how many more there might’ve been if even 10% of the blog’s total readership had actually taken the survey. Certainly more than last year’s 18, I expect. Maybe I’ll just ask my readers what method they use to read Preliator in next year’s survey, then.
At any rate, though, thanks to everyone who took the time to fill out the survey! And I appreciate everyone else who reads this little hole-in-the-world as well. And if you’re one of my many lurkers, then make me smile and just say “Hi” in the comments, thereby letting me know you exist. :)
![Joé McKen (18) [taken 07/13/10]](http://i.imgur.com/2wvlR.jpg "Joé McKen (18) [taken 07/13/10]")
