PFB survey results (Part III)

Part I here
Part II here

I want to thank the nearly 1,000 of you who filled out the Pistols Firing survey this year. My aim is to continually create a better product and this goes a long way in helping to do that.

Today we look at Part III of the survey results…

If you could choose one…

Make the site run faster: 7%
More longform: 30%
More podcasts/videos: 10%
More short posts: 42%

Interesting, sometimes I feel like all I put out are short little bite-sized stuff.

The site…

Almost always runs fast enough: 94%
Doesn’t run very fast: 4%

Good to see. This is something I’ve worked on a lot and I get pretty frustrated when it’s not a good experience for folks.

Now on to the good stuff…(my comments in italics)

If you ran PFB what would you do differently?

Maybe some “pregame” thoughts.

Yeah, this is just laziness on my part. I need to be better about it in the future.

More information, actual facts over opinions.

Meh, I think that’s what AP is for.

Add a writers frees you up for more longform.

I’m down for this. I’ve already had a few people email me about helping out with a few things. If you’re interested in becoming a contributor the address is pistolsfiringblog at gmail dot com.

Ask you to run it since my grammar skills are at the level of a small child.

This sentence was great, though!

Be a bit more balanced in the critique of the team/coaches. I would not be a blind follower who never criticizes, but I would shift a little more to being supportive of the team/coaches. Be honest, but be a fan.

A lot of people said this.

Be a super-homer and have bigger balls.

My balls are fine.

Be funny.

Well then.

Change my twitter handle to @KingPistols.

It’s not available.

Change the layout to look more like CRFF with topical sections and less like a blog. You’ve grown beyond the blog format.

Interesting, I’ll definitely look into this this summer.

Doing a great job – keep it up. Maybe more interviews with players, coaches, fans etc. Other than that – great job! Oh, and we can always use more contributers – include OKC Dave.

One common thread is that you guys really like interviews. With anyone, really. Coaches, players, student manager, I even got a Tyler Hatch suggestion!

Enlist additional contributors (OKC Dave is awesome, but a few more would be even better)

OKC Daves don’t just grow on trees.

Get your sponsors to do some contests….give out merch.

I tried to give away three t-shirts to the top three in our bowl contest but they never emailed me.

Have more non opinion based stories, more views from pros. When I read your stuff it loses me sometimes because I don’t think you know what you are talking about. Also, help make the world a better place and don’t wear that stupid f****** visor. You have a good site though.

Thanks?

Hire someone else to write so you can hang with your family more.

I see Mrs. Pistols took the survey.

I guess I’d not make it just a one man show. I know you have other contributors but you seem to drive about 90% of the content. So it feels like we are getting most of the content from the same point of view.

Good point here.

I think a forum on site would be cool. Like orange power, but for PFB readers. Although, I generally like that most people on this site aren’t chat room trolls.

I thought about this for a while but I don’t think I’ll ever do it for the reason you mentioned.

I would probably tone down the snark a bit. Also, if I used people’s posts in the #okstate roundup, I would ask them for permission first.

It would take a week to write one post.

I would start a witchcraft post on OU and cast a spell on them before every Bedlam football game… I mean it couldn’t hurt right?

[throws hands up in air, leans back, thinks about Gilbert dropped pick, finds email address of person who wrote this]

I wouldn’t try to be David Ubben the second.

Oh.

I’d consider adding a chat/email Q&A’s. Weekly or so.

Yesterday’s was pretty fun, I should probably do it more often.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you really need to get over yourself. You do a great job with the site but it’s a bit excessive hearing about how awesome PFB is. Also, for an OSU person, you seem to care an awful lot about the school in Norman.

Your second comment kind of negates your first. Part of the fun for me (and I think a lot of you) is watching a mini-business grow. People like the stories of individuals and what they’re doing entrepreneurially. Or at least I do.

Kill Nate.

I got a lot of this.

Less critising.

………

Make all OSU streamed sporting events easily available for free!

That is ambitious.

Make certain that all readers clearly understand that the Bullets is simply a summary of the day’s OSU stories, not talk about my love for burnt orange, and realize that the site is for fans and fans don’t want to visit the site to see the opinion of another smug reporter that believes all things written by journalists as gospel.

You probably think all sources should be named, too, don’t you?

Maybe break the Bullets into morning and afternoon editions. Usually takes 30 minutes to an hour to sift through them all which isn’t easy while at work.

Hmmm…anyone else agree with this?

Maybe change the design more. I think it’s kinda bland and could be a lot better. Maybe incorporate more orange.

What about gray?

Not embarrass my wife.

I’m scared to ask what this means..?

Not much at all. You’re doing a great job. Just the two complaints I had above that are very fixable. Example of the negativity… Cobbins gets hurt and immediately you assume KU will win the Big 12. You didn’t even give the team a few games to sort things out.

I genuinely don’t think people want to read “welp, we’ll see what happens!”

Obtain credentials so that I could 1st hand report on the program and not off of what other people have written.

That’s not happening.

Poll questions to get readers opinions on topics. Stop linking your own posts. If we are here to read the bullets then we have already read the post

Disagree, more people read the Bullets than anything else…therefore…

Post more pics of nude girls.

Hot girls, hot chicks.

Put a post up daily (during basketball season) putting shame on the students for not PACKING GIA!!! it is so infuriating!!! OSU IS A BASKETBALL/WRESTLING/GOLF SCHOOL THAT HAS GOTTEN DECENT AT FOOTBALL! so maddening it makes me sick to see empty seats on the tv!!!

OSU is a football school.

Tone down my personal interjection into things. Present the info, but stop telling me what to think and feel about it. If you want to pose me with some food for thought type stuff fine. Blatantly telling me why I should feel what has made me click away from PFB more than once.

Oh.

Try not to be such a journalist. it hinders your writing ability sometimes. Doug Gottlieb tried so hard to not be biased with OSU when he started, it was painful. you’re a fan, that’s okay, go with it.

Doug still does that. And I don’t think it’s painful.

Let Nate have his own column.

Oh boy.

Not have a boner for Carson Cunningham and stop linking “bullets” to your own posts. Stop it Kyle. It’s pretentious.

…….

You should link to your golf content on CBS more, no reason you shouldn’t be allowed to pump your CBS stuff up even more.

While we’re here…you can follow my golf stuff on Twitter at @kyleportercbs!

You’re seriously not considering writing a book about OSU? Seriously? Seriously. Come on, seriously? That would be like you stealing an idea from someone else and putting it on a t-shirt and selling them in the parking lot at games.. oh, wait.

That feels like the right place to end things.

Thanks to everyone for filling out the surveys. They were really fun to sort through and had so many great ideas that I’ll consider and some of which I’ll probably implement over the next few months/year.

Your visits are appreciated as are your comments. Thanks for making this site what it is.

Beat WVU.