Wild Readership Survey
This year’s Wild readership survey had a massive response, with more than a 1000 people taking the time to fill it out, making it three times bigger than any previous Wild survey. We don’t know if it was the promise of a free copy of Wild, the deluxe prize of a MSR tent from Spelean or simply the desire to have a say, but a big thanks all who took part.
Although we won’t bore you with all the statistics, the results were interesting.
Having made quite a few changes to Wild in the last year, the first question we looked at was whether people thought the magazine had improved or deteriorated in the last year. We were happy with the results, with 45 per cent saying that it had improved, 37 per cent said it had stayed the same, eight per cent didn’t know and another eight per cent said it had deteriorated. We thought this was a good result, although there is obviously still room for improvement.
Many people made extended comments and, regardless of whether they were positive or negative, we were impressed that so many people felt strongly enough to take the time to tell us their thoughts. We read all the comments and definitely divined a few common threads.
An obvious one was that while our readers don’t mind some diversion into other activities they see bushwalking as being the core of the magazine. This is reflected in the large numbers who list bushwalking as one of their main activities, around 75 per cent.
There were a number of comments that were familiar from previous surveys. Readers can never get enough track notes. Like Oliver Twist you always want more. If you have any ideas for new track notes, feel free to email us your suggestions – we are always keen to hear from the Wild community.
The Green Pages is another interesting area: many people love them and some people dislike them, but it seems like most people read them. We are working on a few ideas to improve this section, including employing a dedicated environmental editor, so watch this space. Most people seem to approve of the new-look gear surveys, although some rue the loss of the tables – we will still include tables where there is relevant information to put in them, so they will come and go from issue to issue. People also want more surveys and this is something we have already actioned in this issue.
As usual, people want more of some things and less of others, while other people want the exact opposite. Balancing the content of Wild is always difficult, whether it is the mix of activities or areas. It’s probably something we will always struggle with, as that old cliché goes ‘you can’t please everyone’, but we will continue to do our best. Not everyone was happy with the recent changes; one reader thought Wild was getting ‘too sexy’. This is probably the first time that the words sexy and Wild magazine have probably been put in the same sentence together, however we will make an effort to tone down the sexiness in the future…
WILD SHOT RETURNS
One recurring comment that we noted in the survey was that a lot of people would like to see the return of the Wild Shot. We are happy to bring the Wild Shot back, but we need more submissions for it to return. To encourage submissions we have decided to offer a prize for any Wild Shot published. So send in your best shots – they can be funny, they can be spectacular, they can be inspiring – and we will reward you with the Ultra-Light Bumblebee-222 UL backpack camera bag from Kata (RRP$450).
EVERYONE’S A WINNER…
Our subscription manager, Tony, wants to let subscribers know that all those who filled out the survey have had their subscription extended
by a copy.
…BUT ESPECIALLY…
Mark Carter from Alice Springs, who was picked as the winner of the MSR ElbowRoom 2 tent. Congratulations Mark.
The MSR ElbowRoom 2 is just about as handsome as a tent can be, providing a modern, roomy yet lightweight freestanding living space for two people. The spaciousness comes courtesy of the clever Bow Frame (shaped like a ship), which lifts the side walls of the tent and extends the vestibules. The ElbowRoom 2 weighs in at a dainty 3.24 kilograms
fully packed (minimum weight 2.9 kilograms) and retails for $729.
To find out more visit www.spelean.com.au.
