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State of the Blog: Six Months of Get Rich Slowly Print
Sunday, 15th October 2006 (by J.D.)This article is about Administration
I last asked for reader feedback in July. I’m asking for it again.
Get Rich Slowly has been in operation for six months. In those six months, it has produced some impressive numbers:
- Posts: 505 (2.8/day)
- Comments: 2,349 (13.0/day)
- Spam: 8,615 (47.9/day)
- Visitors: 377,000 (2,094/day)
- Page Views: 664,000 (3,688/day)
- Subscribers: 4,100 (190 by email)
This weblog is a success because of you and your support. Your comments, suggestions, and contributions make Get Rich Slowly a vibrant, growing place. As always, if you find something that other readers should see, send it in. If you have an idea for a guest entry, contact me. If you have a question about personal finance, let me know.
During the last few weeks, I’ve found a rhythm to the site. I’m comfortable with the pace, variety, and format. I like it, but what do you think?
When I last asked, many said they would prefer less frequent, more in-depth original content. I’ve made that a priority. My goal lately has been to post twice a day: a main entry in the morning and a lighter entry in the afternoon. (With “daily links” that post automatically overnight, too.) I still “reblog” several times a week — there’s a lot of great information that I couldn’t cover otherwise — but I try to emphasize original content. I especially love sharing stuff submitted by GRS readers, though sometimes it takes a while to do so. (For example, I was sent the American Frugal Housewife link in July; I finally posted it in October.)
I would appreciate your feedback on the following:
- What topics do you like to see covered? Currently, I write about whichever subject interests me at the moment. For example, last week I posted several articles on entrepreneurship. I’ve also focused recently on investing, cars, and home-buying. Which topics interest you?
- Are the articles too long? As I researched this post, I noticed that my word counts have been rising. Am I writing too much? Would shorter entries be easier to read?
- Do you like the daily links? These are items that I find interesting, but that I don’t have time to write about. I bookmark these at del.icio.us, and they post here overnight. Would you like to see more of these? Fewer? None at all?
- Which is your favorite article? Which has been most useful? (Also: which is your least favorite?)
- Do you have other requests or suggestions? Send them in!
Your feedback — good and bad — will help to improve this site. Please let me know what you think, either in the comments or via e-mail.
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer special thanks to Fraser, JLP, Ramit, and Flexo. These four have offered behind-the-scenes advice and encouragement during the past six months. Their support has been awesome. (By the way, JLP’s All Things Financial just celebrated its second birthday. Congrats!)
Remember: you can subscribe to the Get Rich Slowly RSS feed, or you can subscribe by e-mail (just use the handy box in the upper-right corner of this page).
I’m taking Monday off — I’ll see you all again on Tuesday with more personal finance advice that makes cents.
October 15th, 2006 at 7:12 pm
Fairly recent reader here, so take this with as big a pinch of salt as you feel like, but:
I think you’ve hit a good rhythm lately too.
Personally, I’m more interested in frugality and investment; less interested in entrepreneurship (Ramit covers this beat pretty well) and personal development — but the mix lately has been pretty good.
I like the guest posts and reader suggestions; they give more of a sense of community. There’s good discussions in many of the posts’ comments, many comments being interesting or knowledgeable. Maybe you could use this community more by highlighting particularly insightful comments? (A comment feed would be useful too — or is there already one that I haven’t found? — as often now comments get pushed out of the Recent Comments in the sidebar before I get a chance to read them.)
Like the links, would like more of them — the daily links post looks a bit thin when it only has two or three links in it. And as a lurker at MetaFilter it rather tickles me when you link to AskMe questions…
And as a relative newbie here, I particularly like the Popular Entries and Featured Entries sections of the sidebar — they’re very handy for serendipitous exploration of the older posts.
October 15th, 2006 at 8:10 pm
I’m a pretty new reader as well. I’d have to give a big kudos to you for putting together as great a site as you’ve developed in 6 short months. I think the rhythm is very important and the more personal approach is appreciated.
October 15th, 2006 at 9:26 pm
J.D., I’ve enjoyed your website for most of the past 6th months (found it through metafilter where you often contribute to AskMe question that I find interesting).
I think that the current pace and content is great. An area that I’d find interesting (and that I think are neglected by most financially oriented sites) is “extended family finances”. I’m in my mid-30s and my parents are reaching retirement age. I’d find articles around discussing family finances. Suggestions on what kind of resources are available for insurance for those just out of reach of medicare/medicaid (which can have a large impact on overall finances). Estate planning tips, etc.
I think that this is an area that is often neglected by people in my age group until it becomes a problem, and once it’s a problem it’s likely to have a huge impact on overall family finances. Good planning in this area can make a big difference for middle class families.
October 15th, 2006 at 9:51 pm
I’ve been reading your RSS for two or three months now and you have risen to the top out of all my other money feeds (and other feeds in general). I’m not sure how much philanthropy is part of your philosophy of money, but if you have any thoughts on giving money away, I’d love to hear them! Thanks for the excellent, yet free information.
By the way, I read this quote just yesterday that made me think of this blog: “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.” Proverbs 13:11
October 16th, 2006 at 12:10 am
Wow. Sounds like you’ve achieved great success in a short period of time. You’re to be commended!
Your current pace sounds good. I like that your “re-blogging” adds additional information, and brings together multiple sources rather than just quoting a single article. It’s obvious you’re putting in work here, and not just re-hashing other people’s content. Keep it up!
October 16th, 2006 at 3:07 am
Hi J.D., I’m a fairly recent reader, too, and I’ve enjoyed this blog a lot. I like it for its diverse range of topics, each of which seems to grow out of your personal interest in them. (Some other bloggers seem to try to cover things that don’t really compel them, just to “please readers,” but this approach is contrived and unconvincing.) I tend more toward topics on frugality, food, hints, and cultural trends/interest. It is also interesting and helpful to read your articles that revisit topics previously covered; it helps to revive threads and keep the conversation going. Anyway, keep on keepin’ on, and thanks!
October 16th, 2006 at 7:23 am
I too have been a reader for nearly the full six months–still love it, it’s still on my Google Homepage.
In reponse to the question about post length, I’m very happy to see the occassional short post–a link to an external site accompanied by a pithy synopsis. Or maybe I read gawker media sites too much.
For topics, I’d love to see your expertise brought to bear on personal finance current events. An example would be how USA Today published a poll today showing 56% of Americans would prefer universal health coverage in the face of rising costs–how would you suggest folks save money on health care? That would be a fun topic I think…
October 16th, 2006 at 9:17 am
As yet another recent finder of your tremendously addictive website you will have to take my comments with a pinch of salt.
I find most of your articles to be very informative and not to be too demanding to read. I use the internet to have fun and if I learn in the process that is great, this is what I find amazing from your website since it does just that, it satisfies fun factor with learning.
On improvements you could make. Well I think it may be a good idea to invite users to contribute to the website, for example, say a user has computer knowledge or carpentry skills that would save people money and therefore acheive the status of getting rich slowly. It could be in the categories under “User Submitted Articles.”
I find that your site is amazing, everything is simple and easy to navigate and the quick links and such on the website really help people pick articles on the whim of the moment.
Thankyou JD for creating such an amazing website.
October 16th, 2006 at 11:06 am
Feeback: Please, please, stop posting the full article or blog entry on the main page. Allow the content to spill over into the “jump.” The reason I suggest this is because this site is one of the longest loading - 10 seconds for a refresh. Cutting down on the length of the main page would go a long way for cutting down on load times.
October 16th, 2006 at 11:34 am
I’ve not been reading for very long, but I appreciate all the content here — I wouldn’t advise paring down. I’m most interested in new advice on saving money and advice on investing.
I’m in my mid-20s, and I’m finally to the place in my career where I can afford to do some investing … but I honestly don’t know where to start. Yes, index funds are good, buying and holding are good … but the actual finding of someone in my area, meeting with him/her, and enacting purchases leaves me somewhat stymied.
October 16th, 2006 at 12:10 pm
actually contrary to Kevin’s viewpoint, I prefer full post shown on main page and not just headlines or small snippets. this is a semi subjective matter though.
the load time can be reduced if you change the amount of post shown on each page through wordpress setting. he’s right though, it shouldn’t take 10 second to load a mostly text filled page w/ a broadband connection. imagine the wait for those on dial up!
I think you can set it to days or specific number of post. since you seem to post 2.8 times a day.. setting the post displayed to 3 days might be better than the current 6 days…
maybe eventually get a better theme? I mean I use the same one, I like it but eh. there’s probably better stuff out there.. just too lazy to get at it.
October 16th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
Thanks for the feedback, everyone — I appreciate it.
I’ve noticed that it takes a while, too. I’m not convinced this is due to the load of articles, though. I think it may be because of some of the other things that I link to “behind-the-scenes” to keep track of stats, etc. I’ll see if I can find something that can tell me how long each thing is taking to load, and then cut out the worst offenders.
Meanwhile, I will cut down the # of articles per page from 15 to 10. This should help some, too.
October 16th, 2006 at 3:10 pm
I like your site as it is: the rhythm is at I point I like (fast enough to be on my daily radar, slow enough for me to care about reading the articles - something I can’t do with lifehacker, for instance).
As for the spam, have you thought about using a captcha image for the comments? Your blog software probably has a plugin for it. More information on what a captcha is at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha
October 16th, 2006 at 3:37 pm
Tina,
With regard to investing, I’d advise reading a good book prior to giving anyone your money. No one is ever going to care more about your money than you are, so it’s to your advantage to get a basic education so that you can at least recognize good (and bad) advice when you receive it. JD has done a number of good book reviews and I personally recommend Andrew Tobias’ “The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need” and Burton Malkiel’s “A Random Walk Guide to Investing”. Good luck.
October 16th, 2006 at 5:33 pm
I’ve always wondered is it cheaper to change your own car oil and filter or to take to a quick lube place? Don’t forget time costs.. anyway might be a good article for next week sometime.
October 16th, 2006 at 8:43 pm
Oh, I meant to say something about post length but forgot.
I *like* the longer articles: more to chew on. And the longer form seems to suit JD’s writing style. I wouldn’t worry about length — write ‘em as long as they need to be to say what they need to say.
October 16th, 2006 at 9:09 pm
Hey, J.D.
Love the blog, keep it up. Sorry I don’t have anything more constructive at this point, but I can’t think of anything that I would change. Great writing, great thinking, great linking, and active participation.
October 16th, 2006 at 9:25 pm
I think you’re in a great groove. I would welcome more long articles, and I certainly would enjoy seeing more of what you’re reading, so don’t skimp on the links!
October 17th, 2006 at 5:44 am
I really enjoy your in-depth articles. Keep up the good work, specifically, there is a good community here. The comment conversations really add to the site.
NG
October 17th, 2006 at 6:51 am
JD, I’ve been reading your site for months.
I’m a quick to buy-in, quick to opt-out kind of RSS subscriber. What was once a long list of money-related blogs has dwindled to a handful of smart, humble, interesting reads.
You are among the top of them.
Keep it smart (thoughtful and applicable entries with a true investment from their writer), humble (you realize that you aren’t an expert just because you have a blog with readers) and interesting (great posts that teach me something new, aren’t repetitive and often surprise me) and you’ll continue to grow in the way that you have because folks respect that and frankly, aren’t seeing it elsewhere (especially in the realm of money blogs).
Beck
October 17th, 2006 at 8:41 am
I LOVE this site and wouldn’t change a thing. I am a new reader but your approach and voice are unique.
Keep on doing what you’re doing, especially on retirement and day-to-day money management.
Thanks!
October 17th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
J.D. - your writing style is very easy and I like the shorter to medium length articles. My attention tends to wander for the longer stuff, but that’s because I don’t expect long articles when I’m reading something on the internet. That’s just me though.
If I would suggest anything, it would be to change up your theme. Do something different, something unique, that brands your site. When I click on other PF sites that have the same template as yours, I sometimes think I’m reading yours. That’s bad, especially when there’s crappy content on that blog.
Keep up the good work - your blog came out of nowhere it seems, and now you’re uber successful!
October 17th, 2006 at 2:19 pm
I’ve been reading for a few months and have found the information invaluable. Not sure where you find the time to post everything, but I think you’ve provided a great service to all of us that are trying to build wealth.
October 17th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
I love the website as well, I am always combing the archives when in class. Thank you for the great information.
October 17th, 2006 at 4:24 pm
And to answer my own question: I can’t find a comment feed linked from here, but a bit of poking around at likely URLs turned up this:
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/comments/feed
October 17th, 2006 at 5:25 pm
You’re famous!
October 18th, 2006 at 5:03 pm
J.D., you know I’m a big fan of your blog. It’s one of the few personal-finance blogs I read, and I’m blown away by how big you’ve gotten in just a few months.
I agree with some commenters that I’d like to see longer articles with more research and your thoughts behind them. There are so few people writing these kinds of articles that they really stand out.
Also, I think the tendency for us is to try to write more and more–after all, there’s nothing like seeing more people visiting/commenting on our blogs. But I’d be fine if you posted a little less frequently and posted longer, more detailed articles. For me, it’s quality over quantity, and more than once a day doesn’t add much for me.
That’s why some days, when I don’t have anything to say, I just don’t post.
Keep it up! I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.
October 26th, 2006 at 9:18 am
[...] 6-months of Getting Rich Slowly… JD is looking for input on his blog, read the comments, he’s developed quite a community in the past 6 months! Kudos! [...]