I’m really pleased to be able to provide the results of our 2010 Reader Survey. A big thanks to the 100+ people who took the time to get involved with the survey. Your input is crucial and is very much appreciated. The survey overall had two purposes: to get feedback on improving what we do and to get a snapshot of some related issues.

For the dedicated, I’ve provided nearly all the results below. I’ve only left out a couple of questions such as the income one which were compulsory in the survey tool but not one I was seeking info on. If you get to the bottom you’ll see what we’re planning to change as a result.

Overall Satisfaction

A pleasing result overall for this one.

Site content

Although a good result, this one shows the opportunity to improve the level of people very satisfied. We’re already aware of the need to do more in-depth stories etc and this emphasises that.

Most useful sections

This one is interesting. There’s a lot of support for the weekly media roundup and standalone stories on virtual worlds and Second Life specifically. The lack of interest appears to fall around Op-Ed pieces and the weekly machinima roundup. Interestingly, the Op-Ed pieces tend to get the highest website traffic, so it appears the more dedicated readers aren’t that keen on them but that they attract a lot of one-off interest.

Least useful sections

This one is a mixed bag. It’s obvious people don’t like the machinima roundup and Op-Ed pieces, but for the rest there’s conflicts with the ‘most liked’ chart.

New site suggestions

The big winners here are guest writers and in-world events. I have to say the latter surprised me given the amount of activities already occurring, but it’s well and truly noted. More on that below.

Likelihood of recommending the site to others

Site usability

A little over half of people believe the site has a better layout and usability than similar sites, with the large majority of the rest stating it’s about the same. We’ve put a lot of effort into that side of things, so am glad it’s paying off to some extent.

Method of site access

No real surprises here. The ‘Other’ responses all mentioned Twitter and Facebook updates as their main access point.

Level of interest in virtual worlds

Again no major surprises: most respondents had either an education or personal interest.

Intentions for the coming year

Slow growth is the best summary of that result.

Age breakdown

Physical World versus avatar gender

A couple of respondents asked why this question was in the survey: it was purely to confirm that the gender divide with avatars tends to be the exception rather than the rule.

General online behaviour

Where to from here?

Based on the survey, there’s a handful of things I can announce of the bat:

1. Weekend Whimsy will cease to be posted each week, reverting to a renamed monthly piece. The featured machinima on the front page will continue.

2. We’ll be putting out a call for guest writers in coming weeks.

3. We’ll start thinking about what sort of in-world events could be held.

4. We’ll do our best to do more in-depth profiles and news on new environments and key events.

The Prize

About a third or survey respondents went into the prize draw for $30 worth of virtual worlds books or an equivalent donation to Metaverse Aid. The lucky winner is Holt Roussel – Holt, I’ll be in touch to organise your prize choice.

Thanks again everyone for taking the time and if you have any queries about the results, post away in the comments.

It’s hard to believe this site has been around for four years now. Around two years ago we ran a reader survey and it’s well and truly time to do it again. Aside from wanting to get some good information on what we can do to improve, the survey is about getting a good snapshot on how you see the virtual worlds scene playing out. We’ll be sharing the results here as well, so you can some benefit for your time completing it.

If you can spare five minutes to fill out the survey, here’s where you go. Every respondent goes into the draw to win any item of your choice from our shop up to the value of US$30. Or if you’d prefer we donate $30 to Metaverse Aid, we can do that instead. The survey will close at midnight AEDT Thursday 18th November.

Reader Survey Link