From me to you, a virtual bouquet of flowers thanking you for all the valuable feedback you gave me in the survey I sent out recently. I've hired two women, Alicia and Alexis, who are helping me with the blog and shop, and both of them encouraged me to poll you. I'm so glad I did. Your preferences will shape my blog and newsletter going forward.

I know you are staring at a bunch of pixels right now but the more subtle truth is that we have a thing, you and me, a give and take relationship. I want to give you content that you care about and that you enjoy. In return, I hope you will click on what I create, maybe leave a comment or a 'like', maybe even share it from time to time. 

HOW YOU DISCOVERED THE BUBBLE JOY

As you can see from the graph below, word of mouth is how I get new readers. The majority of you heard about The Bubble Joy from someone else. I am able to share all of my stories because you tell your friends about me.

My subscriber numbers bear this out too, as they've increased over the past couple years slowly but steadily. This kind of growth is not flashy; it's not viral; but it is sustainable for the long run.  

HOW YOU RANKED MY CONTENT

Many of you wrote and told me you hesitated to rank the categories because you didn't necessarily dislike any of them. And yet, a pattern did emerge. (Oh, those poor pitiful finger puppets!) One person told me, "I'm not that interested in what you are selling. I'm interested in what you are saying."

Many of you like my sense of humor, and one of you made me cry when you said, "Honestly, after my dad passed away, my first laugh came from reading your weekly newsletter."

So I will be sharing more of the kooky things that happen in my life. (Like the other day, at a party, I didn't know a soul there, and the only available seat was next to a devastatingly handsome man who could have been the twin of Feliciano Lopez. I pointed to the empty chair and asked him, "May I shit here?" "I hope not," he said with a grimace and I wanted to die, to melt like the Wicked Witch of the West into a silent little puddle of water.)      

HOW OFTEN YOU WANT TO SEE A POST

You like the routine of a weekly post. You like that it comes on a Friday. (Jan, you are The Man.) But if I can't produce something every week, you would be okay with that too.

So many of you wrote to say that you love the blog but can't always fit it in. What a revelation that is to me. In the past, when a post didn't get much traction, I assumed it was either the content or the headline or a subpar image. I didn't consider that you are busy. This has helped me to be nicer to myself. 

AND THE WINNER OF THE GIFT CERTIFICATE IS...

I promised a $250 gift certificate at Finder Not Keeper to one lucky person. The survey taker whose number was pulled out of the hat is Amy Lukas. Congrats Amy and happy shopping!

Dozens and dozens of you shared your phone number. I will be calling as many as I can as a follow-up. I hit the road today for a drive to Nashville so maybe we will connect. In the meantime, Thank you to everyone for taking the survey and sharing all your wonderful comments. Your affectionate readership has made me so passionate about this blog and I appreciate the time you grant me. I will try not to squander it. 

Thanks to your support, I am hooked on this. And to think that I procrastinated for years before actually starting! (I was scared.)

And if you like reading about this blog and its progress, you might enjoy my "Here's What I Know About You" post from a while back. Read it here.