Imperfect

contact method challenge

Out of curiosity and (hopefully) to help make friend networks, I compiled contact method details for bloggers I linked to in my own posts. Here are some rough statistics:

  1. Around one-third share their email address on their website. While most use hyperlinked or plaintext email addresses, some obfuscate theirs through instructions, emoji, or other inventive means.
  2. Around one-third share alternative contact methods (besides email) on their website. These include forms, guestbooks, and accounts (for social media or messengers).
  3. Around one-third share no contact method.
  4. Around one-sixth have guestbooks that visitors can leave comments in.
  5. Around one-sixth share both email and alternative contact methods.
  6. Almost one-sixth share multiple alternative contact methods.
  7. Only a few use Letterbird. It's a free contact form service you can embed into your blog or use as a standalone webpage.
  8. Only a few have deleted or otherwise drastically changed their blogs. Some websites show a site not found error. Some show up blank. Others have far fewer posts than I remember them having.

In the spirit of Ava's bear blog question challenge, here's a list of questions I'd love for you to answer:

  1. How has connecting with fellow bloggers been?
  2. What made you share contact methods publicly or not?
  3. What's your preferred order of contact methods?
  4. Which contact methods resulted in the most productive conversations for you?
  5. Do you prefer the dynamics of public or private conversation? Why?
  6. Have you ever found yourself hindered by other bloggers' missing contact info?
  7. Which contact method or guestbook services would you recommend, if any?
  8. If your blog disappeared, how could people stay connected with you?
  9. Which fellow bloggers do you think would have great answers for the above questions?

For an additional challenge, what challenges or statistical insights can you make public based on your own blogging experience?

Want to reach out? Connect with me however you prefer: