A few weeks ago we asked for your feedback and boy did you give it to us! Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey. I know everyone loves a good survey ;). Actually, I quite like taking surveys. I always know all the answers. Ha! Self esteem booster!
I hadn’t given one in some time here on Lars so it was quite helpful to hear your thoughts about what’s going on here. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that a lot of you are long time readers, or at least a lot of you who participated in the survey are, so hello, long time friends! Thanks for sticking with me after all this time. You’ve been very patient with me as I learn what Lars is and isn’t. It’s gone through several metamorphoses. And to those who are new, get comfy. It’s nice to have you here.
In a lot of ways I feel totally guided to do what I do. Guided by something other than my own will, because if it was up to me and common sense I would have quit ages ago. It requires too much time, too much work and for a long time, NO way to support my livelihood. Luckily, I have a good support system behind me. That’s you, you guys. THANK YOU!
NOW…
I thought you might be interested in seeing the results too as it might give you a better idea of the Lars community. Or, as I like to call it, the Community at Lars.
Who is part of the community at Lars?
Over 50 percent of survey takers are in the 25-35 year age group. Hey there! We went to high school together. Well, I flatter myself, some of you I went to high school with. Others I babysat.
Where do Lars readers live?
Though Utah readers claimed the number one spot, they were followed closely behind by Ohio and California. Ohio?! I had no idea, friends. As it turns out, I’ve never met an Ohioan I haven’t liked. Truth. Some of the most down to earth, kind people. And California, my home. Thanks guys! International readers took the final spot with Australia, UK, France, and Denmark in the top spots.
And this made me blush, but also hide in embarrassment:
I do love the Snaps! I put WAY too much out there (as my dad recently discovered) but I find it liberating and fun and a good way to get to know you as well. I sing, I dance, I don’t brush my hair. I’m HouseLarsBuilt over there for those of you looking for a time suck.
What are your favorite posts to see here on Lars?
Without a doubt, DIY/craft posts are your favorites here on the blog. And crafts we shall give you! One day when I have a house I will contribute home design posts, BUT in the mean time, I’m pleased to have people like Meta Coleman contribute home projects. It’s a perfect collab!
What products would you like to see from Lars?
We’ve already done a number of products including the stationery and calendars in our shop as well as dinnerware with Twig, Moccasins with Freshly Picked and others. You mentioned that you would like to see more home decor products, kits, and day planners. AGREED! We’re working on it 😉
How do you follow Lars?
A whopping 92% of you follow and keep up with us on Instagram and 23% snapchat. You know me, I love the Snaps!
What would you like to see from Lars?
The majority of you said you wouldn’t change a thing. You love the blog, Instagram, the styling, color, the projects. PHEW! You also mentioned some things you’d like to see like a home tour, affordable fashion options, more behind the scenes content, simple DIYs, video tutorials (holla! Already on it with our new YouTube Channel!), more everyday DIYs and not just party projects. Some also mentioned how it’s hard to find archived content. AGREED! We’re planning our next web redesign and that’s on the list.
One of the more humorous comments was from someone who mentioned my grammar errors. HA! I laugh for a number of reasons. 1) You’re totally right. 2) Gramer is sumthing im totaly awhere uf butt jist dont spend thyme on. Ha! 3) In an attempt to be efficient with my time, I choose not to read over my work very often, which has gotten me into some funny spelling and grammar situations. In a perfect world I have a proofreader and editor and everything is beautifully written. In the mean time, I might continue to make some errors. I’m so sorry guys! Please stay with me. In my past life I won the spelling bee and got A’s in English so it’s not because I don’t think there’s promise 🙂
What have you not loved?
You may have noticed that we’ve been playing around with different page jump combinations and some mentioned that it wasn’t working for them because it takes time to load each page. I totally get that. We’ve been experimenting with page jumps for a number of reasons. One, our posts tend to be so long because there’s a LOT of information on each one, especially the tutorials. We thought by breaking it up it would be easier to digest and access. Two, to be totally transparent the more page views we get, the more we can grow, hire, create better content, and provide a better resource for you. We have big plans for Lars and page jumps help us do that. BUT, we don’t want to create a cumbersome experience for you at the same time, so we’re hoping to find the right medium. If you have any suggestions, we are totally open to hear them!
The community at Lars
I was stunned to go over all the answers and read about how many of you feel a kinship with the work I do here. Kinship is a favorite word of mine. I think I can blame Anne Shirley for that one. I feel like I have bosom friends all over the world because of Lars. It’s pretty miraculous that we can connect in this way and share common experiences. I’d love to create a more united and tied community somehow. One that doesn’t just live on the interwebs.
I recently got a letter from someone from the Snaps who asked if we could be Pen Pals and I thought…now THERE we go. That’s something that’s right up my alley (now, if I can get my return letter in the mail…). Did you ever have a pen pal growing up? I think sharing an experience with someone you don’t know but have a soul connection to is so fulfilling. Would anyone else be interested in some sort of experience like this? I don’t know what “this” is per se, but…maybe there’s an opportunity there…a big gathering? A pen pal system? Too much upkeep? I don’t know! Let’s brainstorm…
Alrighty! That’s it for now. Thank you so much for participating! This information helps us pinpoint how we can grow together. Stay tuned for some lovely experiences ahead! There were a number of questions asked and I’ll be addressing them tonight on Snapchat. Tune in!
And thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway. The winner of the gift certificate to Anthro is @Laurenraneehunter. Congrats! I will be contacting you!