We’ve listened carefully to your feedback, here’s our plan
Thank you very much for the feedback provided in the recent survey! We value your input very much. Below we present a summary of your responses and our plan moving forward based on your feedback.
Here’s how those who responded use our website
First, let’s take a look at the most frequent responses regarding how visitors use our site and activities:
- 448 people participated in the survey
- 49.3% visit our site weekly, 30.7% monthly
- 48.4% use an activity from our site monthly, 41.4% weekly
- The most used activity was Clozeline (84.5%) and the least used one was Pelipareja (29.4%)
- The activities identified as the most useful were Clozeline (34.2%), Paso corto (21.5%) and Twiccionario (15.1%)
- 95.3% had recommended our site to a colleague, 71.9% had purchased an ebook
Based off these results, we will continue our publishing schedule of 1-2 new activities a day, thus meeting and surpassing the visiting and usage habits of those who responded. Furthermore, the responses indicate that all of our current activity types are being used by some group of teachers. As such, we will not discontinue any activity types at this time (but we’ve got our eye on you, Pelipareja! ?). Joking aside, we are going to take a look at Pelipareja to see if improvements can be made to make it more useful to a wider audience.
We are very thankful that such a large percentage of you have recommended our site to a colleague!
The majority would support a membership-based system
73.9% of those who responded indicated that they think they would sign-up for a membership-based system, were it implemented on our site. What exciting news! It is of note that this is a slightly higher percentage than that of those who responded that they had purchased an ebook. As such, we have begun preparations to implement a membership system.
If we changed to a membership system on Zambombazo, do you think you would join?
The follow-up question of how much do you feel would be a fair and reasonable amount to pay for membership had a very high variance, from $0.83 per month to $30 per month. The average of per-month responses was $8.74. Some responded with a range, the most frequent range provided being $5-10 per month. By reviewing the qualitative information provided in the final open-ended question of the survey, we infer that this wide variance is likely correlated to the wide variance of economic situations of individuals and institutions. Many requested the option of a yearly membership as well as the ability to have a multi-teacher discount.
Regardless of the amount reported, we want to take this moment to thank you deeply for placing monetary value on our work. While we have not finalized pricing yet, our initial plan based on your feedback is to provide a few time-based option, one of shorter duration and another of longer duration, and to have multi-teacher options. (Update: Pricing was set at the average of per-month responses, $8.74, and lower. See Membership Levels for more details.)
We value the voice of those that said no
Among those that responded that they do not think they would support a membership-based system, the most frequently given reason was financial strain, both on a personal and professional level, a very valid reason with which we ourselves relate. A secondary reason provided was that there seemed to be a trend in websites and other services moving to membership systems.
We do not want to be a financial burden on anyone, but rather a help. As such, we will be researching and possibly implementing a grant system which scales with membership. In other words, for every X paid memberships, we would like to offer Y free or subsidized memberships. In this way, we as a group may be able to support those whose circumstances could most benefit from assistance. This idea is still in its early stages, but please contact us by email if you would like to be considered for such a grant or, conversely, donate a membership to be used by another.
You seem to still like us 😅
Your responses to the final open-ended question made our heart swell with joy and appreciation. Most of the responses were personal in nature, such as success stories with certain activities or words of encouragement to us. Thank you, thank you, thank you! It makes us so happy to read your positive, thoughtful comments, especially after having just discussed financial matters. Sometimes discussing money can create sour feelings, which is understandable, but by-and-large we did not sense that tone in the final response.
Many used this final question to state why they use our site and resources. Many said that their students found the activities to be engaging and interesting. Some commented on the high quality of materials, particularly with regard to accuracy and aesthetics. Others found our extensive catalogue of activities and multiple organization systems to be useful when looking for activities on certain topics. Still others indicated that they used the activities across multiple levels. A few said they used the website for their own personal lifelong learning and enjoyment, expressing appreciation for the music selections.
Others used the final question to offer alternate ideas and possible solutions or to advocate for or against certain changes. We are continuing to read and reread each response, reflecting carefully on each one so as to incorporate as many as possible into our plans moving forward, even though some of them offer differing, even opposing, viewpoints.
We plan to be adaptable and flexible
Even after any changes that may be made, we plan to continue to make adjustments and adapt, a skill that often proves necessary and greatly beneficial in the classroom, as well. In addition to Adaptability & Flexibility, our 21st Century Skills are being refined more than ever, not only with regard to the Technology Literacy necessary to implement broad website changes, but more importantly with the desire for effective Communication and Collaboration with you.
We are positive that, with your support, we will succeed in adapting and improving Zambombazo moving forward.