Calling all publishers, editors, writers and freelance journalists. Extend the life of your copy. Turn your articles into living pieces that spark measurable debate and that allows you to engage with your readers mind and soul – we’re talking revolution.

As it was in the beginning

Publishers have for many years relied on letters to get feedback from their readers and although email has opened up this method of communication it is still time consuming and difficult to monitor and process, and for the more popular articles, it is either a case of only a fraction of the received correspondence ever being used, or where online comments have been allowed, well written and good comments can be buried under poorly written and abusive comments.

Let’s face it, as well as being an overhead for the publisher, to most people it is an unrewarding medium in terms of effort required and response received, just think of the number of letters that go unpublished and unread.

As it is now

With the Internet traditional methods of communications can be challenged and replaced or complemented with new methods of doing things. Now a mature technology, the Internet is no longer the preserve of geeks and nerds but a technology that has been embraced by the global population, the young and the old, that invites new ways of doing things. There is now the opportunity for newspapers, trade journals, magazines and ezines to change the mental process.

When people read an article they often would like to comment, and historically this has required them to feel strongly enough to put pen to paper; or with the creation of the Internet send an email or write a comment. Emails make communication easier but it still takes time to craft an email and time for the majority, is what they haven’t got.

Although of interest a letters page is at best a snapshot of views or if comments have been allowed an unmanaged and often never ending list of comments; they may be well crafted and well written but due to the free text form, collectively they are views that are notoriously difficult to measure.

As it should be

Now consider the advantages of linking articles to online surveys where as a publisher you will have the ability to obtain valuable readership feedback in a form that can be properly measured. Communicating with your readers is one thing but having a channel that allows your readers to effectively communicate with you is just as important.

Want an instant snapshot of opinion? Did they like the article? Did the readership agree with what was said or do they have a different view?

Now it’s easy

In the past surveys would have taken considerable effort to design and publish and altogether was a process too long winded and therefore reserved for the niche and bigger topics.

However, using sites like www.surveygalaxy.com surveys and questionnaires can be created and published via the Internet by anyone who has a pulse. Professional looking surveys and questionnaires created in minutes that make the perfect complement to articles that prompt opinion and debate.

The advantages over letters, e-mails and comments are that with online surveys all the feedback gathered is properly managed and easily measured with sites like Survey Galaxy providing you with real time polls and charts that you can either keep to yourself or share with your readers.

It can even be complementary to sending an email

By linking each article to an online survey it will not only extend the life of the article, as people have a channel to express their views, but it will involve your readers in the discussion and in a way where they know their opinion will be counted.

You think they would rather send an email? – not a problem – just include the facility within the survey and get the best of both worlds.

It’s low cost, fast and easy to do; it will not only empower and engage the reader but will establish a valuable communication channel that will provide you with measurable feedback and give you the opportunity to promote other related articles.

Try it for yourself and record your view of this article here:- Readership Feedback Survey

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