Quality Assurance
Do you ever wonder how many of the people who hit on your blog actually take the time to read it? I mean besides the ones you hear from kind of regularly, and the family members and close friends. 
I don’t know if I have enough “draw” to attract all these readers. Maybe I should add more pictures like these three friends who are talking about my blog. I don’t give away prizes very often … if ever now that I think about it … unless you count advice. It’s full of advice and occasionally it is good advice because I actually know what I’m talking about. Sometimes it is really good advice if I do research or consult Lynn who knows a little about everything and a lot about nothing. Coming from a business administrative background, I’ve had a lot of years of quality control plans. State governments who hire non profits to provide services are the Kings of quality control plans. Actually I might have had my fill of quality control plans, but a part of me can’t help but wish there was a little feedback box at the bottom of each blog or at least a quarterly questionnaire. I wonder what the questions would be, though?
From one to ten, ten being the best answer possible, please rate the following questions:
1. Do you feel reasonably good about stumbling onto this blog?
2. Are you ever going to come back?
3. Would you ever in a million years recommend this to someone else?
4. Are you going to report it to any agencies that are going to call me names or ask me for statistics?
5. Do you think the pictures should have anything to do with the posted blog?
6. Do you think I give enough advice?
7. Are you going to follow my advice? (If so there is a disclaimer you should sign first.)
8. Do you wish you could give me some seriously needed advice?
9. Do you wish you could give me a piece of your mind?
10. Okay, will you come back if I quit giving advice?
11. Does your mother know you visit this site?
12. Please leave at least one original sentence about your favorite place to hang so I will know you are a real person and not a machine.
12. Okay, anyone who fills out this questionnaire by June 1st, 2010, will have their name thrown into a mason jar for a free drawing which will be done by an independent and totally awesome grandchild.
The gift will be: SOMETHING GOOD!!! It could actually be SOMETHING REALLY GOOD. At least to some it would seem really good. I may even give you a choice between one or two really good things. The better the feedback the better the prize. (That should help). You may tell your friends about this drawing because even if they haven’t ever read my blog they can give feedback because that is what quality assurance is all about … equal opportunity. Maybe I will even send two prizes if I get enough feedback. If I only get one person’s feedback there will not be two prizes. One person can not enter feedback twice and expect to win both times. That wouldn’t be fair. My husband and close family members and Mark can enter if their feedback is not sarcastic. Sarcastic feedback will be disqualified. I will be the judge of what is sarcastic and what is not sarcastic. If I think the sarcasm is meant to be funny in a positive way I may allow it. It will depend how I feel that day. If I get enough feedback I may do this again some time.
I always read you–every word! I have recommended you many times and will continue to do so.You’re that good! : )
Wow!! I rate your blog at least a 10! I read it fairly often, well I guess as often as you post. I enjoy reading it so much, your whitty humor is what keeps me hooked on to your blog. When you post a picture it is an added bonus to the story. I liked seeing all the Christmas stockings you made. I was truly amazed by that one! Im pretty sure my mother knows I read your blog. I think it has come up in our conversations too! My favorite place to hang out is wherever my kids are, well that’s if I’m not busy reading your blog!!
Oh I do like those responses to my QA plan! Your names will definitely go in the mason jar!
I am an avid reader of your blog since I have to be aware of what you say about me. I have to know if I have to hide from everyone for a week or two while they forget what you said and can look me in the eye again without snickering. Otherwise I give it a 10. I do have one very good suggestion though, STOP DOING IT AT 3:00AM IN OUR BEDROOM WHILE I AM TRYING TO SLEEP!!!!
Does dad’s response count as sarcastic. I think it should. I want to disqualify as many people as possible so that I have a better chance of winning.
So you say I can’t enter twice, but what if I use a nickname and an alternate email address in another entry? Would that disqualify me? If so and I do it anyways under a name that you don’t recognize and have my gift shipped to a different address and then you come to visit and see it sitting on my mantle will you take it back? Because that wouldn’t be fair. That would just be good planning on my end.
I recommend your blog to everyone I know and I link to you on my blog so I should get an entry for every person that has come to your blog because of me, right?
I love to see any pictures you post just as long as they aren’t fat or bad hair or skin pictures of me. So please use Photoshop liberally.
My favorite place to hang out is at your table in your RV late at night with the sound of waves outside and the sound of my snoring kids on your couches. With dark chocolate hot chocolate. Sugar free of course. But one that doesn’t taste like sugar free. And black licorice. (Also sugar-free but not tasting sugar-free.) And Diet Coke. DUH! (That is not sarcasm. That was a very un-sarcastic “Duh”) (Please don’t disqualify me.) (And thank you in advance for disqualifying dad so I have a better chance at winning.)
Kim, I think you might be correct about dad’s last comment being sarcastic. It wasn’t even thinly veiled, but it will depend on other circumstances between now and then. If I see one of the prizes on your mantle that I didn’t send to your name I may have to expose you, which would be rather embarrassing since you’ve referred so many of your friends to my blog. However, there is a 95% chance I would not remember who I sent what to and in that case you could count yourself as lucky. Just ask Luca who calls me the Grandma who loses things. For your information I would try to forget just because of your favorite place to hang out, which coincides with my favorite place to hang out.
P.S. Thank you for your timely response to my QA Program. Of course it is only the 1st day but if responses don’t come pouring in soon, and if I disqualify Dad, you have a very high chance of winning either one of my good or one of my really good prizes, especially if you cheat.
P.S.S. Others of you who have responded may think I am playing favorites but if you cheat too I would not know it so we are still playing on a fair field so to speak.
P.S.S.S. Quality Assurance Plans never were fair or easy to read.
Oh I give your blog a definite 10 every time – (well most times) . I guess I don’t qualify for the prize because I am not computer literate enough to even know how to ‘cheat’ . Oh well. Lynn should be disqualified before I am however, because I often read your blogs at 3:00 a.m. and I never complain about it either. Just keep blogging away!
Reading a blog at 3am is different than hearing the click clack of keys at 3am when you are trying to sleep. I used to sleep right through it and there was no problem but my sore knees keep me awake and fine tune my hearing to levels never before reached. Why is it when you WANT to hear something it is hard but when you don’t want to hear something it seems as loud as a fog horn?
So I will quit blogging in the bedroom at 3:00 AM but you are definitely probably disqualified from the pretty good prizes.
I LOVE your blog – especially all your family stories and funny quips! Love ya!!
I love reading your blog. Your writing is beautiful. So uplifting and from the heart.
I’ll answer if I can be the totally awesome grandchild who draws the winner! Lol