Thank you for taking the time to contribute to my recent reader survey. This was the first time I had undertaken such an exercise. I have found it a useful way to understand you, my readers. I think in the long run you will also benefit as it will help me improve my blog and writing. I intend to repeat it at least yearly so as to keep what I write about and present as relevant and helpful to you as possible.
In December 2013 we had 38 responses from the 267 email addresses in our database. Although these are relatively low numbers (14%) they do provide a baseline from which we can build on to develop an understanding of who is reading and how to improve content. Summarising the results gives the following ‘reader profile’:
- My average reader is male (but this is marginal at 58%),
- aged above 45 (61%)
- with a post-graduate or university education (76%).
- Not surprisingly many of you (42%) found out about the blog through personal connection with me. What I have particularly appreciated about that is it has enabled me to keep in touch with many of you in ways that are normally just not possible. There have been some fascinating insights as well as much encouragement on-line and off-line which I have appreciated.
- At this stage 13% has been through on-line sources such as Facebook, Twitter or another website. I would love to see that grow and develop so as to help more people.
- In terms of where you live, I have statistics from my current number of 308 subscribers that shows 46% live in the UK, 21% in the US and 18% in India. The remaining 15% are from countries as diverse as and including (among many others) Germany to New Zealand and Brazil.
- In terms of content, many of you made comments about appreciating videos and creating ongoing discussion from them. This is certainly something I will continue with – bearing in mind to ensure that the videos are not too long.
- Issues around wanting help with the areas of time management and overwhelm came up frequently.
- The blog posts initially started on the subject of depression and I am aware that I need to write more regularly on this subject.
- I also received feedback from a number of folk that they enjoyed the variety of content.
- 92% of those of you who responded described yourself to be affiliated to the Christian faith in one form or another, while 84% of you described your faith as very important to you.
- In terms of frequency of reading the posts, 60% of you said that you were getting to read all or most of the posts that I send. I aim to send a post weekly – it is what I can realistically keep up with and I hope provides a welcome thought provoking and inspiring interlude to the usual emails you receive without being another unnecessary addition to your in-box.
One of the results of the survey is that I realised that I need to ask you more questions! My 10 questions were intriguing, but have made me hungry to know more about you and how I can best help you. I hope to send out another fuller survey later in the year.
One of you (who at this stage shall remain nameless, but you know who you are!) has regularly prompted me to not short change you on sharing what I have been learning.
With that in mind further reflections on writing my blog that I have been thinking about recently include:
“You should be shameless about promoting something you passionately believe in – the world needs to hear.”
“Not bringing up something you are passionate about doing is actually arrogance masking as humility.”
These provocative quotes are from a recent conference I attended. They are from Michael Hyatt who has inspired and guided a lot of my thinking. The Internet has an incredible array of resources and ideas, frankly many of which are negative or positively harmful. I am challenged to make the blog into a resource that can be a real encouragement and support to others.
I have often felt confused and discouraged in life. I have learnt and found many resources and tools that have helped me personally. I want to find ways of helping others who too have struggled and would benefit from my experience. If that includes you or others you know then this site is for you.
“I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.”
This articulation of the Law of Process is from one of my heroes, William Carey. A simple cobbler who had a deep faith and passion to share the love of Christ went as an illegal immigrant from Britain to India in 1793 (that is not a typo – not 1973 when some of you were not even born, but 1793 well before even I was born!)
The reason he went as an illegal immigrant was that the East India Company at the time was more interested in exploiting India than looking to improve the lives of the local people. Carey settled in Calcutta where I briefly visited following the sudden death of my dear friend, Abhishek Banerjee. Carey gave his life to India and this is a short list of some of his accomplishments:
- He started Serampore College that later became a university
- He wrote textbooks in English, Bengali, Marathi, Sanskrit and Arabic
- He translated the two Hindu epics (the Ramayana and Mahabharata) into Bengali
- He established a network of more than 125 village schools.
- He pioneered the education of young women.
- He brought the modern printing press to India and launched India’s first newspaper.
- He was a social reformer who wrote against bride burning, dowry and the caste system.
- He gave India its first steam train and introduced the concept of a savings bank.
However, his greatest passion was the Bible scriptures and in just over 40 years translated the whole Bible into 6 major Indian languages – Bengali, Oriya, Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit and Assamese, as well as parts of the Bible into 33 other Indian languages.
But what was even more poignant for me was when I visited my friend Abhishek’s family in Calcutta I learnt how 7 generations earlier a member of his family had a spiritual awakening through Carey’s own ministry! Abhishek (Bunty) and I would pray regularly. One of his consistent desires and longings was for his life to reflect the love of Christ to others.
Let’s get back to William Carey! Before you feel tempted to put Carey on a pedestal and think you have nothing or little to offer, a final quote from him:
“The God who can do for and through a poor shoemaker the much He has done for and through me, can bless and use any. The very humblest may trust Him.”
So that is some of my thinking behind the blog and the reader survey.
If after reading this post, you would like to make further comments or suggestions I would be delighted to hear from you. This is an on-going dialogue with you, the reader and I want to add value to you and your life.
(Once again if you are reading this in your email, please go to the website at drsunil.com to leave a comment so that it can be shared with the wider group for more people’s benefit).
Thank you once again for the opportunity to interact with you this way and provide content that I hope you can find of value and encouragement. If you know others who can benefit please pass on articles or resources from the site you think they would find helpful.
