Letter from the Editor

June 2011

What Our Readers Say

If reader response to our survey in the March issue of Trends is any indication, we’re doing a lot of things right. When asked about the content, writing, layout, and photography in the magazine, at least 75 percent of the respondents said each of those categories was “good” or “excellent.”

Another 88 percent of those who responded to the survey said the length of the articles was “just right,” 70 percent said they found the articles “useful” or “very useful,” and 95 percent said Trends is “impartial” or “somewhat impartial.” I know some politicians who would be thrilled with approval numbers like those.

That’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement. The one thing I’ve learned during a career of writing and editing for publications is that you can never be satisfied with the status quo. In an era when there is so much competition for reader attention, particularly online, any print publication that isn’t striving to get better won’t last long.

An interesting finding in our latest survey is how many people still read the print edition of Trends versus online. When we asked that question during our last survey in February 2007, about 78 percent of the respondents said they read a print copy of Trends. Four years later — at a time when Internet usage is even more widespread — 65 percent of responding readers still prefer the print edition.

Readers say the main areas they want us to cover are current topics, regional or labor market trends, and economic or workforce development. The good news is that those are already the sweet spots of Trends coverage. We don’t have any plans to make major changes in what we write about, but we’re always looking for ways to improve and appreciate your suggestions.

Monte Hanson
Editor