I would like to solicit feedback from readers on how to make Canadian Capitalist more useful for you. While I would love to hear any general comments, I would specifically like your opinion on these issues:
Topic Ideas
I mostly write about investing and keeping up-to-date with financial matters but are there any specific topics you would like to see? Finances are such a vast topic and I don’t have all the answers, so I’ll try my best to research your suggestions and solicit comments from our knowledgeable readers and fellow bloggers.
What Do You Like?
What do you like about the blog? I am not asking this to pat myself on the back but to continue doing whatever it is that attracts you to this blog.
What You Don’t Like?
More importantly, is there something you don’t like about the blog? Can you suggest areas where you would like to see improvement? I have a thick skin, so you can be candid!
Thanks in advance for your feedback. If you don’t want to leave public comments to this post, you are welcome to contact me.
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19 responses so far ↓
1 MillionDollarJourney.com // Aug 2, 2007 at 7:23 am
CC, what I really like about your blog is that it has a very professional and trusted tone. Other than that, no downsides for me.
2 FourPillars // Aug 2, 2007 at 7:31 am
Ditto for me. I also like the clean look - not too many ads!
Mike
3 Steve Heath // Aug 2, 2007 at 8:57 am
Hate to say it, since I know you’re looking for how to change it, but I honestly think it’s perfect the way it is. Your how-to articles are perfect and welcome, your comparison articles like brokerages and savings accounts are always worthwhile because things change over time, and your summary articles of important things happening are fantastic. This is my daily dose of financial information… everything else is when the whim strikes me.
4 Eric // Aug 2, 2007 at 9:12 am
I wouldn’t mind seeing a section in the top, you know where it says FAQ, In the News, etc. for a portfolio section where there are a few examples of lazy and sleepy portfolios by you and submitted by readers, occasionally updated? Maybe?
Great blog, I read it often.
5 guinness416 // Aug 2, 2007 at 9:22 am
I don’t comment much here ( perhaps at all), but read almost every post. I like the blog the way it is too. Honestly, you’re not quite the writer that some of your fellow bloggers are, but the info you post is exceptionally good and clear, which as a relatively recent arrival to Canada navigating the tax etc systems I appreciate. Love the roundups too, mainly because I haven’t time to check all the newspapers.
Having said that, if this post is prompted by your wanting to change things up a bit then I’d say go with your instincts. The commenters here aren’t exactly shy, I’m sure they’d tell you if they don’t like it.
6 Canadian Dream // Aug 2, 2007 at 10:06 am
CC,
O this is funny. I have a very similar post on my blog today as well. I’m fishing for any ideas while I do a site redesign. I’m gutting the design and starting from the ground up.
As for your blog. I love the content and the organization, but I would love to see perhaps a logo or some other graphic element to your header. Or perhaps look at another font for your comments text. I would guess you are using Times, which is a bit hard to read after a while.
Best of luck,
CD
7 willfly // Aug 2, 2007 at 10:44 am
One thing I would like added is an icon to the web site URL. I use firefox and have bookmarked the URL, and it shows up as a plain entry. Other blogs show up in bookmarks with an icon.
Here is how to add it: http://www.codelifter.com/main/javascript/favicon1.html
If you code HTML, add following in the head section:
Great blog, keep it going.
8 willfly // Aug 2, 2007 at 10:46 am
The html code did not show up in previous post:
Here it is again:
LINK REL=”SHORTCUT ICON” HREF=”http://www.mydomain.com/myicon.ico”
9 Philip S // Aug 2, 2007 at 10:49 am
First the good:
I love the Friday feature of This and That. It fits Friday perfectly and gives me a good shotgun overview of the weeks events that didn’t make the blog.
I also love the Sleepy Portfolio. The Sleepy Portfolio is what got me to open up my own non-registered investment account.
Now the complaints:
Right now you have the Sleepy Portfolio in with the Investing Category. …it needs to be broken out into it’s own category. In fact, you should probably break up the Investment category since it is so broad and has just too many articles to scroll through.
You need more info on budgeting. Not that anyone here on this site needs that info (we all seem to be investment savvy) but if you want to attract new blood to the site, you need to have a few more entry level posts. Things like budgets, credit card comparisions (which you’ve done), consumer mortgage debates, things that the average investor is faced with. Stuff that you or I (or most of your readers) take for granted.
Lastly, don’t stop writing. When you go on vacation or a little while ago when you were prevented from writing, I missed the blog. If you stopped writing entirely, well, it would mess with my morning routine.
Thanks for the blog.
10 nobleea // Aug 2, 2007 at 11:10 am
It is a good blog. The posts are well thought out and topical. The site could use a little sexing up though. I get very disappointed when a blog doesn’t have a new post every weekday, but you seem to be good at that. Personal Finance is such a broad topic. I would say it would be better to focus on a select few topics (for example REITs, Gold and silver microcaps, cost saving tips for urban male workers, mortgages and other loans, etc etc). There are many finance blogs out there and trying to cover all the bases will not make yours stand out.
I also like how other bloggers have their favourite blogs linked on the side bar.
11 moneygardener // Aug 2, 2007 at 11:52 am
Great site but,
What is your direction with your finances and what are your goals?
How is your portfolio diversified?
12 FinancialJungle.com // Aug 2, 2007 at 6:00 pm
I second MG. What are your financial goals? Seeing that’ you’re not anonymous anymore, it might be difficult to answer, but are you almost there?
What’s the future of this blog? What’s your secret of maintaiingn 5 posts per week? Do you ever get fatigued?
13 Canadian Capitalist // Aug 2, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Thanks for all your comments. It’s great getting feedback.
Eric: That’s a great idea. I will make a Sleepy Portfolio page. It will help me too. I keep checking my notebook because I tend to forget the exact allocation percentages.
willfly: I will add an icon.
Philip: Great suggestions. Definitely, the investing category needs to be broken up further.
nobleea: I’ll try to write every day but once in a while, life intervenes
MG, FJ: I’ll make a post about our financial goals and personal portfolios.
14 Earl // Aug 2, 2007 at 7:58 pm
I really like the information you have on ETF’s. I would probably like to see a sample of someone’s sleepy portfolio regarding asset/market mixes. Only think I can think of.
15 FourPillars // Aug 2, 2007 at 8:06 pm
I’d like to see two or three posts a day!
Mike
16 Mike // Aug 2, 2007 at 10:00 pm
CC, I rarely comment but follow your blog weekly. I’ve noticed lately that the blog discusses individual stocks more often than in the past which is something that I enjoy. Keep up the good work.
17 The Financial Blogger // Aug 3, 2007 at 6:58 am
Hi CC,
I really like your blog as it is. I particularly find interesting to have another point of view on personal finance. You have good points and you know how to explain things.
I know that you are not much into leverage, but I would like to know what is your personal strategy to create wealth.
Cheers,
FB.
18 KS // Aug 3, 2007 at 7:52 am
I liked your previous articles on saving money. For example when you compared different cell phone plans and another time when you compared different credit card point plans.
I’d like to see more articles on saving money.
19 Riscario Insider // Aug 8, 2007 at 1:29 am
I like your believability, range of articles, periodic roundups of other blogs (you were my main source of traffic for months), your links to other blogs on your main page, and the quality of comments from your readers.
I no longer read every post or visit every day, I like knowing there’s content for future reference.
My pet peeve with personal finance bloggers is their insistence on anonymity. I’ve seen reasons and find they’re generally weak. Maybe this is Canadian modesty? If you’re “officially” public, why not personalize your site with your name and photo?
You have a knack for picking great topics. You’ve also created a community. Thanks.
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