Wednesday, August 20, 2008

FEEDback

Sorry, I just couldn't resist the pun. I swear, I'm not 80 years old.

Anyway, I decided to take a hint from my fellow bloggers (Tina and Jenn, among others) and ask you for some feedback on the blog.

I leave for school on Friday, so my schedule will soon change significantly--which means less opportunity to cook and obsessively take pictures. I am seizing this change as an opportunity to improve the blog.

Since I won't be able to photograph all of my meals (although I'm not ruling it out just yet), what would you like to see?

-Do you want to see just the interesting/new food? I know my diet has been a bit repetitive lately, so I don't want to bore you to death with parfaits and scrambles.
-Should I continue posting my shakes? I realize that these, too, can be very similar from post to post.
-What kind of format do you prefer? There are myriad possibilities: daily themed posts (a la Hungry Girl and Jenn), short daily re-caps, ... let me know what you think.
-How do you feel about product reviews? I feature products I like every now and then on the bog, but I rarely do a full "review." Are you sick of product reviews? Are you clamoring for more?
-How about nutritional tidbits? Like many of you, I am constantly reading nutrition articles (thank you Google Alerts). Would you be interested if I posted links to these factoids or article links?

I invite you to share your opinions, preferences, and comments--I look forward to hearing what you have to say!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really enjoy your blog especially when you highlight new food discoveries and recipes. I don't care so much for the shakes and a photo of what you have for every meal though it is interesting in s somewhat voyeuristic sense it is not really what keeps me coming back to the blog.

I really like it when you talk about your family and your life too - I think that is something that really draws me in. I want to know more about the vegans and vegetarians I meet in the blogosphere. I find it especially nice to read about you going to the lake or taking any special trips.

I am very close with my family also and it is nice to see someone who really likes to be around their family.

You really do a great job and no matter what you do - I'll be back.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

As a loyal reader of (and commenter on) your blog, you know that I already enjoy what you do - I like how you set up each photograph, include fun commentary, and share little facts; and those shakes are just too delicious!! :0D Seriously, I think that your blog is wonderful; and despite having a busier schedule with school coming up, I know that your blog will still be great.

Anonymous said...

Def think new recipes would be great... and I think it is great how you eat at school and maybe talk about how you make that work...

Anonymous said...

Aw, thanks for the shout out, Caroline! Revamping the blog is a great idea as we head back to school!

First of all, I love the way you highlight the new food and choose to leave out meals you think are repetitive, etc. It helps keep interest up because people know they can count on your posts to have new information.

I'm partial to themes (obviously) but maybe you wouldn't have to be as crazy as I am with a different one for each day. Maybe if you're posting, say, three times per week, you could have one day devoted to articles and recent nutrition issues, and the other two devoted to new recipes, food, restaurants, products, etc. Maybe the "new" theme could be your specialty. I don't know, I'm just throwing out ideas.

No matter what, I know your blog will still be one of my favorites :o) Best of luck at school!

Anon said...

i love short daily recaps! but whatever you do i will definitely continue to read - love your blog! also, product reviews are soooo helpful. and your smoothies never get boring :)

Kimberly said...

I quite enjoy the current format of your blog (recaps of your daily meals, plus periodic posts on more specialized topics of interest.) I think it'd be interesting to hear about how you balance your meals with a busy school schedule, since it gives readers some great ideas about which foods travel well, can be made quickly, use few dishes, etc. Any tips on how to grocery shop on a student's budget would be welcome as well. Recipes you've made often probably don't need a photo, but would merit a brief mention (because while a reader probably knows what a tofu scramble looks like, they might not think to make one until your blog reminds them!) Either way, it'll continue to rock, because you have such a cute writing style!

healthy ashley said...

This is so tough! I love your blog how it is RIGHT NOW.

My favorite things are pictures and your meal ideas.. not just recipes, but also how you put your meal together. Honestly, I'll come to your blog for inspiration often. Good luck!

ChickPea said...

Thanks, everyone! I have decided to keep a similar format to my current one--after all, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?
I'll be photographing as many meals as I can, with a new emphasis on snacks. Also, I will try to mention my workouts throughout the week. In addition to the three posts during the week, I will devote one post to a special topic: articles, product/restaurant reviews, or my food philosophy. I hope you all like it!

Anonymous said...

yay! good to hear you will still be taking lots of pics of meals (i love that! your meals are always so inspiring) and i think it'd be interesting to read about your daily life as well :)

ChickPea said...

Lily: Glad to hear you like my plans for the blog. I appreciate your reading my posts!

Erin said...

I like the blog how it is now, but I wanted to say that I'd be interested in nutritional tidbits. I can always use reminders as to why I should be eating the good stuff :)

ChickPea said...

Erin: Thanks for the suggestion! I will try to remember that for future posts.