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Site Housekeeping: Story Suggestions, Reader Requests, and Moving the Feed
Thursday, 24th July 2008 (by J.D.)This article is about Administration
If you're new here, you may want to learn what this site is about. I encourage you to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
It’s been months since I did any public housekeeping. I have several items that could use some feedback, however. Now’s a good time to discuss them.
Feed transition
First of all, my RSS feed is in the process of being moved from the old Feedburner site to the new Google-based Feedburner site. There may be some glitches during this process. The subscriber number may swing wildly. (I’ve seen 51,000 and 62,000 today, and right now it doesn’t show at all.)
There may be trouble with the e-mail newsletter. Some bloggers report 150 copies of their e-mail being sent out this morning. My subscribers saw zero copies in their inboxes. I’d rather have the zero than the 150. Things should settle down as the team at Google works the glitches out of the system.
Public relations
I used to share a lot of cool tools and sites I found as I poked around the internet reading about money. I’ve done that less in the past few months, largely because I’m inundated with e-mail from public relations firms pimping their articles and applications. I’m reluctant to post about something that I first heard about via a PR e-mail. It feels too close to selling content (which I choose not to do).
On the other hand, some of these look genuinely useful. Should I refrain from mentioning Qvisory simply because two PR people contacted me? I’m beginning to believe it doesn’t matter how I hear about cool money stuff — I should share it with you, anyhow. What do you think?
(On a side note: I just about died when a PR person contacted me today to give me info about the company I worked for in the story about the worst job I ever had. Uh, no thanks.)
Repeat material
I’ve mostly tried to refrain from covering topics that I’ve explored in the past. There are several articles about buying a new car in the archives, for example. However, most of these articles are months (or years) old. Get Rich Slowly has seen a lot of new readers since then, and most of them haven’t gone back through to look at the old articles.
It’s time to cover some of these topics again, and to do so, I’ll reuse certain key passages from old posts. (Why reinvent the wheel, right?) In an article about buying a new car, I might reuse a bullet-point list, for example, updating it with new information. If you have suggestions on how to approach “repeat” material, I’d love to hear them.
The sidebar
I haven’t monkeyed with the sidebar in nearly a year. It’s woefully out of date. I plan to make some changes to it soon, and I welcome your feedback. Are there features you’d like to see? Features you want removed? How many of you ever use the “recent comments” to track ongoing discussions? How would you feel about a weekly poll?
Guest posts
I’ve has a number of people write lately asking for my policy on guest posts. I’m happy to consider all submissions. I tend to post guest articles on “Wednesdays and weekends”. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but I try to share two items from other writers every week.
If you have something to share about personal finance or productivity, feel free to send it to me. But please be warned I’m becoming much choosier lately. Guest posts must be well-written and informative. I’ve actually begun to reject submissions that will require too much editing on my part.
(Also, if you have favorite guest posts or guest authors from the past, please let me know. If there are some clear favorites, I’ll ask them if they’d like to contribute again.)
Reader requests
This seems like a good time to ask for reader requests, too. Are there topics you’d like to see covered? Topics you’re tired of hearing about? For example, one reader yesterday mentioned that my focus has been too much on rural stuff lately and not enough on city stuff. Excellent point, and one I’ll try to consider over the next few weeks.
Would you like to see more “ask the readers” columns? How do you feel about the current posting pace (which has remained essentially unchanged for eighteen months)? More daily links (or “twice weekly links”, as the case may be)? Fewer? More book reviews? Contests?
Also, I’ve had some people mention that the articles seem to be getting longer, and they’d prefer shorter posts. Thoughts?
Thanks
Thanks, as always, to all the Get Rich Slowly readers. You folks are awesome. The discussions around here never cease to amaze me. I’ve learned a lot over the past two years, not just from my reading, but from your stories and advice. This site would not be what it is without your contributions. Thank you.
71 Responses to “Site Housekeeping: Story Suggestions, Reader Requests, and Moving the Feed”
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July 24th, 2008 at 11:27 am
I would be interested more discussions on pros/cons etc of early payoff of mortgage debt.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Maybe some articles on building a house versus buying, “green” additions to the home (solar panels, rainwater collection, renewable materials, strawbale) that will save money in the long run, going “off the grid” to save money (how possible is it without living in a tent in the woods or something). All just random suggestions off the top of my head. And I love the rural stuff because too many blogs say “ditch the car and bike to work,” which isn’t even close to being an option for me.
Love the stuff you’ve done on lifestyle design.
I don’t care who sends you something. If you think it’s cool and readers would find it useful, tell us about it!
I do prefer shorter posts. Maybe break up the really long articles into separate posts. I tend to lose focus–maybe I have ADHD.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:59 am
I like GRS the way it is, so I’m not going to be very helpful.
Since you asked, I’ll tell you that I don’t use the recent comments feature, though, so it won’t hurt my feelings if you lose that.
And I like the practical frugal stuff you post the best, but I understand that there needs to be a balance between that and investing-type topics.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
PR - I don’t care how you find out about something. If it’s interesting/useful, pass it on!
Sidebar - I usually read the feed, I only come to the site to comment or read comments on an especially interesting post.
Posts - As long as the topic demands, but no longer.
I like April’s ideas about “green” ways to save money, and I always enjoy reading about your gardening adventures.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Hey J.D,
You should definitely do a post on life insurance. These are the things you should hit on:
1.) It’s importance as a method of income protection, as the loss of an income due to death could be devestating to the surviving dependants.
2.) The importance of buying term and investing the difference and avoiding cash value like the plague!
Yes I am an agent for a financial services company and sell ONLY term life insurance. Regardless, I still think it’d be important for your readers to understand the value of life insurance.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
I’d have to agree with the concensus so far, J.D.–it really doesn’t matter where the content comes from as long as you believe it to be relevant in some regard then I’m certain everyone else will as well. You can borrow from me any day!
I do have to say that some material does deserve rehashing, especially if there has been a drastic change such as the new bill regarding housing bail-outs, or simply something that you wrote about last year, but still seems relevant (or even moreso) today.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Hmmm…well, I’m a newbie, and I haven’t explored this site in-depth, but I have a comment about navigation, I guess.
“Where” people are financially seems to run the gamut here. Some have been coming here for years and have reached the investing stage, whereas some are on the verge of losing everything and are wondering where to start. So, maybe it would be nice if there were a way to organize the different topics into “Just starting out,” “Halfway there,” and “Ready to build wealth!”
For me, the success stories are inspirational, but finding myself on a thread where everyone is talking about where they’re investing all their extra money makes me feel behind, left out and discouraged. Maybe it should be inspiring- but I would feel more comfortable if I were reading about people who were closer to where I am in the process.
Maybe it’s just my problem- too sensitive as I’m just starting out eliminating my debt.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
1. Do tell us about cool stuff, even if the source is less-than-ideal. (It’d probably be important to identify your source, though.)
2. My guess is that you don’t own any pets - you’ve never talked about pets and money (To my recollection.).
3. I’m an RSS-based reader. I don’t generally visit the site. Visiting now, it sure seems that the sidebar is quite wide.
4. In general, guest posts are great. In a generic fashion, I tend to really enjoy topics that are a little beyond what you cover, but are none-the-less related.
Keep up the great work - I always enjoy it!
July 24th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I like the idea of sharing green ways to save money. I think there are a lot of simple green ideas out there that most of us don’t even realize.
For example, I know there is a company (the name eludes me, if you are really interested I will look it up) that will lease solar panels for a cost, as opposed to buying them. It’s not exactly cheap compared to other forms of energy, but perhaps a better alternative to purchasing the panels. They also take care of installation, maintenance, and replacement I believe.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I’m also an RSS-based reader and an urbanite, though some sweet day we’re going to move to the country. I really enjoy reading about your gardening project for future reference, but I could definitely use some “saving in the city” tips for today. Because dang, the city is expensive.
I also enjoy a mix of long and short articles (busy workday vs. evening/weekend reading). As to repeat material, one thing I always find myself doing when I come to this site is following the links to related articles at the end of the post. If you do re-use stuff just say you’re doing so, so I don’t go reading the same thing twice and getting bored.
I never notice the “recent comments” sidebar thing unless there’s an argument going on in some other post, and then it’s just distracting.
Overall, this is a great site, and I’ve definitely learned a lot from it. I find myself bringing this blog up to my husband probably once a week, and he’s always interested to hear what I learned, too. Keep up the great work!
July 24th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I really like the balance you currently have between guest posts, reader requests, cool sites and tools you’ve found poking around the web, and original stuff. I wouldn’t really change much, if anything. As for you giving in to the PR folk, I don’t care where it comes from so long as it’s useful. As long as you’re not a trying to sell product I think you’ll stay on the straight-and-narrow.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Newcomer to your blog, and just wanted to say that I love it. I do save, but the money never really stays with me - most of my savings lately went into paying taxes (miscalculated, duh) and financing the last three low-income years (freelancer), but I still have some savings left. Trying to build more wealth again, and your blog is really encouraging
Thank you.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I prefer shorter posts, if only because a longer post is one I’m more likely to skip.
I think that if you find something potentially useful in your review/experience, then however you heard about it is irrelevant. If you’d prefer, out of full disclosure, to tell use how it was introduced to you (which it seems you do most of the time anyway) then you can let the readers judge for themselves if they feel they want to try this thing that you heard about thru a PR person.
Honestly I pretty much just read the RRS feed on livejournal and only load the actual site to comment. But I think I will bookmark the actual site and take advantange of some of the other options, I just don’t have any real comments on those right now.
That being said, it stands to reason that I haven’t read a lot of the older posts. Definitely I think going thru and updating the older posts with new info, maybe trimming them down to the most relevant info and making sure it’s all current data would be useful.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I think everything you are doing is great. I think if you get emails from PR firms, you should tells us about it, but only if you believe it is not a scam and worth hearing.
I do think you should start revisiting topics you have covered in the past. Because you are right, some people are new and would love to hear that stuff.
Keep up the good work!
—-
Austin Hike and Bike
July 24th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
JD-I wouldn’t change too much. You have a fantastic blog so you obviously are doing something right!
I wouldn’t worry about the PR issue. If it is quality put it out there. If you have an affiliate tie or some other connection just note it. We trust you and know you won’t violate your integrity.
As for guest posts I’d have more from that Brandt Smith guy. He was fantastic…wait, that’s me. Is it wrong to invite myself back?
July 24th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I would like a contest in which I win $100. Better yet, $1000!
No, seriously, I think you have a really well written site.
The comment about having some sort of page dedicated to newbies probably would be pretty useful. There is some good content in the archives. Your “about” page actually is pretty good, but maybe you could retitle it something more grabbing. About pages often are just a short quip about the site/author, but yours has a lot of info that many people might skip over.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Regarding repeat material: Unclutterer.com has been having posts titled “A year ago on unclutterer” where a bullet list of links is the entire post. While I find that this site does this too often, it does help get the older content out there again with little effort. Some similar format could be used, where you do a revisiting article that contains a little new info, with links to the older info at the end.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I sent a story suggestion and never heard back. I included details but didnt get too wordy - didnt want you to read a lot of information and then decide how to proceed. Do you instead prefer a well written piece to be sent before you decide if it is useable?
Since I never heard back, I assumed ideas are just deleted then. I think it would be wise to post your policy and/or state you do not reply to emails you are not interested in.
It was a topic that I have never seen covered on any pf blog or newsy site, although you had a related post fairly recently.
I think overall it is valuable to post on what readers ask for and ‘ask the reader’ entries are always much enjoyed (I enjoy the comment section as much as the original post).
July 24th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
What I enjoy most are the little stories you tell about your life and then how you relate them to PF.
July 24th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
As a new reader I would like to see topics covered again. Some of the most interesting parts comments. I often find that I would like to join the conversation but can’t do that on an old post. You can keep them different by offering other points of view on the same subject.
For topics to cover I would like to see more on dealing with others (spouse, kids, family, friends) with differing views on money. I find these to be some of the hardest money issues to fix.
Another nice thing to see on the site would be more biographical info on you and Kris.
July 24th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Wow, thanks for re-linking to ‘the worst job you ever had’. How sad and touching. You mention in the comments that you are still working at the box factory — how far you’ve come!
July 24th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
PR: My thought would be to decide if you’d want to share the item had it come from another source. If so, share.
Repeat material: Subject matter can change with the times, subjects rarely so. Substantiate, update, innovate, modernize.
Those are my 2 cents (I’m economizing : )
July 24th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
If a PR person alerts you to a good/interesting item then I’d like to hear about it. I don’t care who tells you about it really as long as its useful.
For repeat material I think having occasional reminder posts listing old topics would be good. Occasionally pointing us to a set of old posts that might be worth going back to would be handy.
Jim
July 24th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
I always enjoy Kris’ guest posts–she’s a great writer with an interesting take on things and quite knowledgeable about gardening– and I love your little interjections throughout her posts! You two must be a fun pair!
July 24th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
PR: It doesn’t matter to me how you hear about the cool stuff, I think you should share it anyhow.
Repeat Material: I’ve been reading GRS for a while but I look forward to repeat material. Sometimes articles are interesting but not yet relevant. My only request would be a link to the original article(s).
Sidebar: The only part of the sidebar I use is the ‘categories’ section. I’ve tuned out the rest. I don’t think I’d pay much attention to a weekly poll.
Guest posts: My favorite guest posts are from Kris. I love the occasional recipes and the garden updates.
Reader requests: Topics: DIY home improvements/fixes vs hiring contractors; anything about investments; frugal traveling; The length of the articles and the posting pace seems perfect to me.
All in all, great site!
July 24th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
My favourite guest posts have been the ones written by Kris. I’m particularly interested in food growing, preparation and storage and I enjoy your posts on these subjects.
After discovering personal finance blogs about 18 months ago, yours is one of the few that I still subscribe to.
July 24th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Repeat stuff. Have a post of 5 great posts on subject X. Change the subject every week.
I think we could also allow a twitter application on the site to let say, registered readers chime in with short links. Any moderating should be done by your mod team!
Use what you have. You have far more than you think!
July 24th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
“I’m beginning to believe it doesn’t matter how I hear about cool money stuff — I should share it with you, anyhow. What do you think?”
You’re the gatekeeper. If you get a tip from a PR person about something that you truly deem noteworthy, you call the shot! I’m certain you’ll ignore far more than you mention either way
Sidebar suggestion > I’d make your popular posts much more prominent. I didn’t notice them for a long time.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I like the sidebar - esp the “most popular” and categories sections. It’s uncluttered and easily readable without hijacking the whole blog. It would be cool if you could add a short list in the sidebar of randomly generated posts from the archives - because realistically, I’m never going to go back through all of them, though I would like to. And it refreshes with a new random list every time you reload.
I like your link posts, but I think you do them just often enough and don’t need to do more. But keep doing them.
Honestly, I think guest posts are a teeny bit boring (eek) except for your wife’s. But I know you have to take a break sometimes, and I don’t have to read every single post.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
As for the interesting tools/sites you hear about from PR, I would be interested in hearing about anything you think is a good idea, regardless of it’s source. Just because a PR guy tried to sell it to you, doesn’t make it bad.
The sidebar- I think a weekly poll would be a good idea. Personally, I don’t read the recent comments, but maybe others do?
Repeat content- I have no problem with repeat content, I think it’s inevitable and useful- things may have changed since you last wrote on a topic, or maybe you learned more about it (if that’s possible)?
I really enjoy this blog, thanks for working hard at it!
July 24th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I actually have a reader request about something that has been bothering me lately. A lot of personal finance blogs and site invoke Dave Ramsey like he is the second coming. He obviously is good at what he does, and has set many on the right path to financial freedom.
However, I’m new to all of this and when I went to his site I was instantly turned off by how monetized his site was. “Come pay to see me talk! Pay to read my books! Pay for my software!” I listened to one episode of his podcast and every 5 minutes there was a commercial pushing one of his products.
So I guess I’m asking how do you reconcile a person talking about becoming debt free, pushing so much stuff on the very same people, much of it kind of pricey? Maybe because my debt is uncomplicated (credit cards), I’m just not the market for that stuff (especially when here and simpledollar give me all the info I can use for free as it is)? I don’t know, but I was wondering if you had any thoughts on this.
Also, I like that you will be repeating topics. That’s the best way to learn something is repetition. Sure, the archive is right there, but sometimes it’s nice to have important info shoved in your face again.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Looks like I’m going to be in the minority on the PR issue. I’m a news editor for a community newspaper, and I’ve developed a deep distaste for the hundreds of press releases we wade through each week, not so much because most of them are useless, but because I have trouble with the amount of spin I see in some of them. JD, I trust you to weed the BS from the occasional item that may be useful. But, to me, posting something from a press release is too similar to selling content — either way, you’re letting someone else use your site to push a product. If you do decide to use press release info, please let us know the source.
Otherwise, I love this site! I wouldn’t change a thing!
July 24th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
I am really loving eaverything you are doing here JD. A safr as your specific questions go though -
I don’t see a problem with a PR person pointing the way to something interesting - so long as you find it useful then it’s your opinion you’re sharing - not theirs. I would only have a problem if you were receving kick-backs that you weren’t open about.
I like a mix of lond and short posts. Sometiems all a post needs to do is point us in the direction of a resource, other times its nice to get a longer run-down on something. I look forward to reading what you have posted overnight (I’m in Aus) every morning when I get to work so its always nice when there is something substantial to read.
I have found the blgo a bit rural lately. I don’tmind the rural-type posts but I city stuff is more relevant to me personally right now (maybe one day I will have enough space for fruit trees etc).
I think rehashing is a good idea, as a late-comer to GRS (a few months ago) I have pretty much trailed through the archives reading all your old stuff. I find the links in your posts to old posts incredibly useful so definitely keep them up!!
I can’t remember any specific guest posts that have been my favourite but I have enjoyed them all so keep ‘em coming.
Finally, the daily links is really useful. You basically save me time by scouring the web for the most interesting tid bits. I always read everything you link to and have discovered some other great blogs because of it.
In short, you’re doing a great job so keep it up!
July 24th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Polls — yes please!
On PR stuff :
PR people can save you time and introduce you to new stuff *or* waste your time with drivel.
If you’ve got the patience to sort it out and give us the good stuff, that’s great and please do. It might be nice to have a tag or something so that we can know if it came via a PR agency.
Other Suggestions:
Sometimes a post will generate all sorts of interesting comments and you’re nowhere to be seen in the responses.
Personally, I like it when you’re responding in the response thread. It makes it feel kind of like a classroom discussion. And come on, you work at home…probably just lazing about all day (jk!).
July 24th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Regarding content, I would like so see some advice (maybe guest posts?) geared specifically to the issues single people (women especially) face regarding financial planning, retirement, mortgages etc. I have found myself in the position of starting over after a relationship ended and so much of the personal finance advice is geared to couples. I am hoping to buy a home by myself but it seems so much less achievable than when my fiance and I were planning this together.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
I love where you have gone with this site. I like the mix and I like that you include personal stories. Of all your guests, I like your wife the best. Not that you shouldn’t have guests, I just enjoy her voice the most. I use the link to the “life remix” button and the archive list on your sidebar, but nothing else. I do come to your site almost daily. Thanks for the social currency piece, I really enjoyed it. I also like it when you jump in on the comments. As for the PR people, I think that if you think it is worth sharing, share away. We come to read you because what you think is interesting we find interesting also.
Celina
July 24th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Polls are a neat idea. I say go with it.
With PR pitches, I’d say that if someone brings something interesting that would benefit your readers, then do it, but don’t feel that you have to. You don’t seem like a very mean person, but you could even make fun of some of the schlock they pitch. A lot of it is terrible (I know, I get them myself for my blog and my job at a national magazine). They’re just doing their jobs.
Or you could just be like the editor of Wired who blocked PR emails hahaha
http://www.longtail.com/the_long_tail/2007/10/sorry-pr-people.html
July 24th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
I just discovered your site this evening, and am thrilled at all the good information! I’m 38, finally have my own income, and am just now starting to plan my retirement. I also have huge student loans from graduating nursing school last year, and I would really like to buy a house.
I have decided to make retirement my main priority, opening up a Roth IRA and maxing it out before the end of the year. I think my second priority should be paying off the student loans ASAP, and saving some for a house.
Looking forward to learning more great stuff about living more simply, spending more responsibly, and getting rich so I can do what I really want with my life.
July 25th, 2008 at 1:39 am
As far as PR things, as long as you disclose to the readers that you were solicited by PR people but you still found it cool, I think that would lend credibility to you.
July 25th, 2008 at 3:20 am
I’m beginning to believe it doesn’t matter how I hear about cool money stuff — I should share it with you, anyhow. What do you think?
*I think experiences count munch more. If you have experienced a product or service and its useful you should talk about it.
If its from just a PR person and you have not really used it but think it as useful, it may count but it counts a lot less. (so disclosing it to readers helps).
July 25th, 2008 at 4:42 am
I’m a newbie too, so “old” material wouldn’t be old to me.
OK, you may want to mark it as a second edition or something for those who’ve been around a while.
As far as PR stuff goes, again I think, the key would be to clearly identify it as coming from a PR person. Perhaps you could place an icon of a salt shaker beside it. ;->
I’ve enjoyed the range of topics I’ve seen so far. I’ve even participated in a couple of very interesting threads. Since time is limited, a mixture of short and long stories is nice (I know one site that seems to swing between extremes at times, and it can be hard to keep up when that happens). Otherwise, I’ve learned a lot and would like to say, “Keep up the good work!”
July 25th, 2008 at 4:46 am
I think it would help the whole rehashing old posts thing to do something better with your archives. It would be easier if there was topic/catgory based page, or the best / most informative posts were laid out nicely.
I know what you mean about PR things, but if they’re actually good it’s probably fine.
Instead of recent comments, you might want to check out the discussions plug-in which can be used to show which posts have had comments on recently.
July 25th, 2008 at 4:49 am
I’d love to see a comment feature where we can vote +1 or -1 and have the best comments float to the topic in a particular topic.
July 25th, 2008 at 4:56 am
I’ve mentioned this before, but It would be great to see a break-down of different types of loans (how they are calculated) and early payoff (when they try to shaft you by applying the rule of 78s)…
As always, I appreciate what you do and keep up the great work. With your guidance, I’ve knocked out close to 20k in credit card debt this year alone.
July 25th, 2008 at 5:08 am
GRS is the only blog that I try to read EVERY day, so obviously I don’t want you to change too much. I know you don’t have kids, but I would enjoy some articles on saving for college.
I enjoy most of your guest-posters, with the exception of the “non-conformist” guy. I thought there was some kind of law stating you can’t refer to yourself as a non-conformist after age 17.
Someone mentioned a “year ago today” feature. I would enjoy that as well.
July 25th, 2008 at 5:43 am
JD - I’ve really enjoyed the site so far; I’m a fairly new reader. It’s good to know that there are many others in similar situations; it makes me feel less of a failure, financially. I guess it’s not really “good to know” but you know what I mean.
I am a mother of 3 - the oldest being the age where he asks for “things” often. I think we ok with them, we can shop and “look” at toys without meltdowns but I imagine that there are a lot of parents out there as well trying to balance our consumerist society with our pocketbooks. I would love to see something about how to really talk to your kids about finances. I want to instill good financial habits and a sense of frugality into our kids without sounding like a scrooge.
Otherwise, I’ve enjoyed the breadth of info you’ve covered, from investing to gardening
Keep it up!
July 25th, 2008 at 6:19 am
Do some posts on LIFE INSURANCE. Who needs it? Who doesn’t? How much? What kind?
July 25th, 2008 at 6:51 am
Like the suggestion above about pets and personal finance. My parents have a “free” kitten who racked up over $1000 in medical bills in the first year of his fuzzy little life.
Is pet insurance a rip-off? What are ways to cut costs (sites where you can get Advantage or other things for less)? What are the true expenses that come with pet ownership?
Wouldn’t mind info on life insurance, either. My husband and I keep getting advice to take out policies, but if something happened to one of us, the other can handle our bills, and we have small policies at work that would cover funeral expenses. We have no dependents, yet, so I don’t see the need for additional policies, right now. Am I wrong? That’s be a topic I’d be interested in reading.
Just wanted to add a thank you, too. I’ve been reading for awhile, and this is by far my favorite PF blog. By the end of this month, my husband and I will have only $400 left on our credit cards, down from nearly $13,000 in April. We’ll pay it off next month, then we’ll tackle our car loan before the end of December, leaving only our land payment. We even have an emergency fund now. Your blog provided a great deal of inspiration and advice, and it continues to keep me on track.
July 25th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Maybe I’m just not seeing it on your website, but maybe a place where you feature some of the better financial books? Or maybe you can just have a book tile on your website? You can click on it and discuss the latest and best financial books? Have guest authors on your website discuss their ideas about finance?
Just a thought.
July 25th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Briefly, I agree with others, as long as you’ve evaluated a tool, I don’t much care how you ran across it when you tell us about it.
As far as repeat material, I don’t mind if you even rerun articles wholesale, just flag them somehow. (from the vault) (classic posting), etc, so those who want to skip the rerun can do so easily.
July 25th, 2008 at 7:37 am
PR: Share if you really really think it’s worthwhile and you would have written about it if you heard about it in another way, but please disclose the source.
Topics I would like to see more of: anything related to city living or living in a small space, anything about frugality, anything “wacky” or unconventional that most people may not have thought of (I find it inspiring to hear how others think outside the box even if that particular thing would not be possible in my situation), “how to”/DIY articles that help you save money (practical things around the house, cooking, etc.), stuff about “psychology” (how not to feel deprived, how to stick to a good habit, etc.).
July 25th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Hi JD-
I would love to see an entry about first-time home buying. Esp referring to state and federal programs. I am looking right now to get into my first home, and I know there are a ton of programs out there, like AmeriDream, that have down payment grants I can apply for, and there are a bunch of state programs that I can qualify for that offer much lower interest rates.
And as far as the length of posts go, I think that when there is more than one post in a day, the posts should be shorter. If you have a topic that you think really requires a longer post, maybe just stick with that one for the day. I am backed up about 35 posts right now because I took vacation lat week where I didn’t have internet access!
July 25th, 2008 at 8:51 am
This is the first blog I’ve encountered that I want to check in with daily. I heard about you during a great interview you did with NPR.
Your column has opened up the world of fun-to- read personal finance blogs. I don’t have time to read them all regularly so I really appreciate the links and the Round ups of links to interesting stuff.
I love the guest posts, especially the occasional ones from your wife and the Zen Habits person.
I like your sidebars: archives, popular conversations, index. The “recent comments” is a novelty to me still. I like to see what people are saying to see if I want to read the rest of the postings or add something. I usually quickly scan the article du jour and then check out the sidebar or forums for a little more reading.
I love your links to previous articles and conversations. I have read big chunks of the archives as a result and followed up on postings on the topics that interest me.
Whatever you need to do to keep it fresh for you
will probably work for me,too.
That said, I was surprised how helpful the debt reduction refresher course last week was, for example. I needed that right now. I’m in a different place than I was 6 months ago, but still need that encouragement and advice.
My only suggestion is an update on a previous topic:Maybe an update on keeping track of financial records in the digital age? Especially with couples? What to keep on paper and where? So
much has gone online and paperless that I’m not
if I’m missing something.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:56 am
I love this blog as is, but a few of the suggestions are great. I think that poll could be fun. Adding in more topics related to urban lifestyles would be great. I love the mix of informative and personal information. What I have found most helpful are the posts that define some of the PF lingo. As somebody just starting out and trying to learn, sometimes just having terms defined is helpful.
I also agree with Kathy that having some posts identified as to who they might benefit most would be great.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:40 am
I am new to your blog, but completely addicted! It is simple, extremely practical, and down to earth. I appreciate that your focus is on lifestyle and frugality, simplicity and sound financial decision-making. I am mostly interested in practical tips (and the reader comments and real-life experiences are pretty inspiring). I do get frustrated when readers harsh on the guest posts, for possibly being one-sided? It never seems to happen when you write a post, so yes, being more picky with guest writers is important. I enjoy Kris’ writings as well and would be interested in living off the grid suggestions. More on smart home upgrades of old Portland bungalows. Thank you for the WEALTH of information! It’s the most user-friendly blog I’ve visited. And I like the categories/best conversations on the side- maybe make it more visible?? Thanks again.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Don’t go to just short posts!! I love the detail you go into sometimes, and if your posts got too short and general, I’d probably stop subscribing to you and recommending you to my friends.
Of course, not all subjects deserve long posts, but when the details are important (or interesting), I think you should go into them. It might help some of your readers if you broke the articles into sections using more subheads or offered a summary at the top, perhaps.
Meanwhile, I haven’t gotten an email of your posts since 7-20, and I’m hoping Google will fix your feed soon. Do you recommend people re-subscribe to it? Or just wait and eventually we’ll start receiving them again?
OK, actually I just went and tried to resubscribe to receive posts via email and feedburner says you have deactivated the email subscriptions. So maybe you need to go back into feedburner and reactivate them? Please?
Thanks!
July 25th, 2008 at 11:07 am
I’d love to have a discussion of the cheapest ways to have internet and telephone service. I read the VoIP thread carefully, but that may not be the solution for me.
Just to give an example: I have Verizon DSL and a Verizon cell phone, and the combined charges are ludicrous. I don’t care about cable (I don’t have it, and don’t want it). I want quick internet service a telephone line that must be mobile. What are the cheapest options?
July 25th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Well, I get the RSS and I AM rural so obviously I have no problem with those posts - LOL. BUT I have been a city dweller and I well know the frustration of “can’t grow a garden” places. I think posts that would apply to saving money in an apartment, would likely have at least some application to saving in the country, too. So I have no protests to more urban posts.
I trust you to only blog about links that really ARE useful - whether you originally found them surfing around, or through their PR person. If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t be reading. That trust, BTW, is earned.
On revisiting subjects - things obviously change over time. For instance, on the car buying article, I would guess now that the trade-in value of a gas guzzling SUV has gone down, while prices of dependable, used, gas efficient vehicles has gone up. That, in itself, would make some changes in that article, no? So it makes sense to revisit that subject.
Overall, I trust your good sense and judgment on what to write. I have no issues with the sidebar, although I rarely use it - I mainly read the newest post. A function of my own limited time, I think.
July 25th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
I’d say keep going with your current post length/rate. Your stuff continues to be fantastic.
More multimedia perhaps? Are you still thinking of doing a podcast series? Hope your running is going well!
July 25th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
It seems as though you would have written about this somewhere before, but I haven’t been able to find it in the archives: I would love to see a post about tackling student loan debt. As far as debt goes, student loan interest is fairly low; however, it’s significantly higher than what the same money would be garnering in a high-interest savings account. Is it a good strategy to make minimum monthly payments, thus effectively doubling the lifetime cost of the loan, or to sacrifice saving/investing in order to pay the loans off more quickly?
July 25th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I second polls.
PR - Yes please. I don’t want it to be too taxing on you, but if you found something that’s neat, a quick “check it out; take it or leave it.”-kind-of-a-post would be helpful (maybe with its own tag).
JD - I really appreciate hearing about the worst job you ever had every time you link to it - it could be a drinking game. You know I’m in the business, and think differently than most of my colleagues. I have seen others go through it and know all too well how true it is. It’s bitter sweet.
Plonkee’s idea about repeats is beautiful.
July 25th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I’d love some kind of “investment basics” fact sheet. I’m very very new to personal finance stuff, and have a lot of basic questions - I actually came here trying to figure out whether the IRA contribution cap is separate from the 401k cap - and whether being married effects those caps (i.e. the question is - what is the absolute max number of dollars that my husband and I as a couple can save tax-free?)
July 25th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Aaron, a Get Rich Slowly drinking game would be hilarious. Common mentions include:
* the worst job I ever had
* online savings accounts
* how to get out of debt
* Mini Cooper
* comic books
I’m sure there are others.
July 25th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I would like to see a follow up on the “Ask the Readers: Energy Conservation Tips?” post that you did.
I want to cut my energy use and would like to know what worked and what did not for Dan in Alaska.
July 25th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Post are getting a little long for me.
I wouldn’t change much about the sidebar except maybe update your links. Also — please don’t mess with site navigation. It seems some people are setting up blogs lately that make it hard to look backwards. Don’t do that to me! Leave it the way it is.
RE content:
– Lately a lot of the posts haven’t been that interesting to me and I’m probably reading only 1 in every 4 or 5 posts these days.
I don’t know what to suggest for that, partly I think it’s because I’ve been around all this info for a while and it gets hard to see something new after awhile.
Partly I think it’s because as you said there’s been a rural slant lately and I’m urban. Also, I think a lot of your posts are geared to a slightly younger audience, and that’s ok. I guess I’d like to see a little more variety in the topics — balancing the concerns of younger vs. older readers (and for older readers it’s not all about retirement, either) as well as rural vs. urban.
I’m not into DIY projects to save money, and I’m interested in simplicity but not so much the hard-core frugality of buying secondhand either, and I think there’s been a slant towards that too.
I’d like to see more re Tim Ferriss and approaching your money as somebody living with or planning for irregular income.
July 25th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I’ve really enjoyed your features on some of the historical examples of personal finance: the history of debt in America and the economics of a POW camp being the most recent. I think we can learn a lot about our system and making sensible long term decisions from the economic stories of the past.
Regarding content I must disagree with db and say that I really enjoy both the DIY tips and the conversations on frugality. I think you’ve done a good job of being thorough on some of the larger aspects of personal finance, but I could always use new techniques of stemming the flood of money from my wallet to assauge the desires of living in a consumer culture.
By the way, I’d also like to throw my vote at the possibility of a GRS podcast, even if it’s weekly or bi-weekly and a simple reading of a selection of articles. I know it makes linking to external resources impossible but it’d be great to take on the go.
Oh, and I do want to say thanks for all the work you’ve already put into GRS. I know its your job, but I’m certainly excited to have access to such a wonderful resource.
July 25th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Thanks for all the great advice!
Re: Public relations
I would say that if it’s something you’ve used for a while & it’s really great, then go ahead & tell us, regardless of how you about it, be it press release, blog, email, whatever.
Conversely, if it’s just something you heard about and haven’t explored very much, then don’t bother passing it along, again, regardless of how you heard about it.
Of course, this is just my 2¢.
July 28th, 2008 at 9:01 am
No shorter posts please, please JD!
Yes, many other moneybloggers post shorter material. But frankly, there’s none of them that approach your talent as a writer. I’d be quite sad if I checked out GRS and found a bunch of short little posts called “10 Reasons To …” or “GRS Articles from One Year Ago!” and the like. I like the fact that I can print out a GRS post and read it on the subway, rather than glancing at it when I’m procrastinating for 5 seconds.
Re content, I am always impressed by the breadth of experience among your commenters. I don’t know how you’d incorporate that, but I’d love some interviews or a round -up of comments or something once in a while.
July 29th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Hey JD,
I work for an online publication too (in an unrelated industry) and am also spammed by PR people regularly. You should have a link on your site for PR people on how they should send you stuff (maybe use a special email address like pr@getrichslowly.org or whatever so it’s separate). Other popular blogs are starting to do this. Then block the domains of all the people who don’t take the time to follow your rules. Not all PR people are hacks who are flouting shady products. Some people/companies are good at making cool products, but not at marketing them. It kinda seems like a disservice to your readers to ignore all PR/marketing pitches just because you didn’t find them first…
July 30th, 2008 at 7:04 am
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/07/30/credit.cardusedown/index.html
Great story on CNN about fiscal responsibility being bad for credit card companies; people are paying with cash and putting away plastic.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
As a former guest poster, I don’t want to see the results of the voting
Glad to hear you are still accepting submissions. Are there specific types of topics you want covered?