Get ready: We want to know your critique, ideas, suggestions for SNEWS®

After five years, SNEWS®, with the support and backing of our new owner, Active Interest Media, has decided to conduct some formal research asking what you like and don’t like about SNEWS®, and what direction you’d like to see us take your information service in the future.

Sure, we talk to our subscribers all the time and get all kinds of emails with suggestions. We like to listen to all ideas – wild ones, strange ones, challenging ones, firm ones, happy ones, pleading ones — and our subscribers know that. We also work to implement changes very quickly when they make sense and when will serve the needs of our readers.

But if we’re going to continue to be on the cutting edge and be the communication leader we are, then we need to do much more than that. We need to clean house, remodel, refurnish and renew and that’s where you come in. We can’t do this without you.

To that end, we’re embarking on a pretty far-reaching piece of research that will ask you to look at all the little pieces and parts of SNEWS® and GearTrends®, including navigation, features, values, editorial departments, magazines, length of stories, tools,… you name it,… we’ll ask about it. And we hope you will take the time to answer openly and honestly as you always do. No bruised egos or hurt feelings to be found here. Just a very committed desire to ensure we are continuing to serve you in the best manner possible — today, tomorrow and into the next decade.

The survey will be conducted in two parts, with the first part now slated to go out April 7, and the second part slated to go out April 14. Each survey will be available online for a week, no more. We’ll run another story in SNEWS® in the coming week with a link for you to access the first part of the survey once it is live and another a week after that when the second part is ready for prime time. We know your time is very valuable and we know we can’t be the SNEWS® you need without your input.

Start thinking about how you’d like to see your SNEWS® if you had a blank slate to lay news plans. Forage through your mind now to remember those thoughts you had when you told a buddy, “Gee, wouldn’t it be great if they did (insert here).” It’ll almost be like we’re putting you in charge of the madhouse here – well, almost.