It’s hard to get a good handle on what military families are thinking and feeling. We’re an incredibly diverse population, spread all over the world with needs, feelings and desires that we proudly wear. We’re strong willed and proud of it, darnnit! So how are policy makers supposed to figure out what we want them to do?
But researchers tell us how incredibly hard it is to get people to respond to surveys. At a recent spouse survey day held here at Fort Campbell, a researcher from Walter Reed Army Medical Center told me the participation was so low that they were going to need to figure out a way to extend the project. Bummer.
Since there are so few broad surveys of military families, the ones that are out there are cited again and again by policy makers. The information in them DOES make a difference. It IS important. And YOU can be a part of it.
The annual Blue Star Families survey for 2013 is now open and waiting for YOU to give answers. The results of this survey have been used by the White House and Congress when reaching out to military families. If you want your voice heard, this is the way to make it happen.
Please, take the survey here today. The little bit of time you invest in it will make a difference.
About Amy Bushatz
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Done! Took me about 10-15 minutes FYI :)
Done! and I agree, it is important to take the 10-15 minutes out of our lives and let our voices be heard. It's all too easy to assume others will do it, or it's too much of an effort. It's worth the time!
2 of 2 parts
Possible Solution Strategy:
***********So, as a permanent, up front, iconic, blatant, ever-present element on your site, have the Spouses answer a daily question from within your site but presented by a partner outsider spokesperson (a spouse with an absolute obvious track record of credibility and a good sense of the chaos of Military life– I have one in mind-the spouse who has “Riding the Roller Coaster” http://www.ridingtherollercoaster.com) and asked by anyone for that day’s question (you, agencies, sites, organizations…literally anyone). That way every day, they can look forward to the “daily question” (they do not know who asked it) and give their opinion (displayed on your site with the last opinion first; so, they can see their post). This is the daily question with your host …………..of “Riding the Roller Coaster – Just Another day in the life of a military Wife”. That will get their attention and become a known comfort to see every way. They will immediately see some of the best answers so it helps them.
You then develop a following, who wants to come on the site every day to see the “daily question/answers” and always feel welcome to give their opinion. They will at least read the question every day. It becomes the flagship of the site…..true part of their culture to read and see this. You also push the question to them for an answer from their e-mail or to drive them to the site to answer it. Also, if they read it first when they come onto the site they are more likely to engage in everything else.
True Interactive loyalty and Value are the mission components, this is how you develop it in a real but fun and iconic way.
Once the Daily Question, which can be a survey but not look or smell like one, truly become a habit for everyone, then that ownership with perceived, and hopefully real, value to the reader is achieved……for your site and certainly for “surveying” them any time you wish with any question you wish.
*******Then you have something no one else has been able to do for the Spouses –a way to help them see value in all sorts of ways they never really engage through the noise that is their lives. This is a service that all Military Spouses should become involved with…viral if you will, and that will help installations for our entire United States Armed Forces.
Ask them one question at a time like this, right in their face as they enter your site, make it interesting to them and easy to sign up and engage and you will become iconic for the Military. There is a hunger there for this type of thing but someone has to do it. I think you can.
Perhaps make it “Your Daily Dig” and place it below the advertising frame in the upper right hand corner. That way advertisers will be easier to attract because of the clear relationship of first engagement in that quadrant. Tell people every day to go there and get involved. They should see it blatantly there but not be able to read the question and answers unless they are a member. Once they are a member they can then just click on it and read it and answer without logging in. Their answers would be anonymous and only the best would be displayed. That way the “survey” aspects would be intact but nothing rude or inappropriate would be displayed. When they are multiple choice questions, the running results would be displayed. There could always be a multiple choice question and a regular question. You could even display how many are answering as a running total for the day…..and even year.
In this way, you build culture and get any “survey” done one or two questions at a time over a few days to the benefit of all stakeholders, including the Spouses!. Discrete surveys are run together because this is a constant in their daily interaction and has no beginning or end for the Spouses. However, basically you are running one question surveys…….
That builds interest and attention span….and eventually dependence on saying something and loyalty.
******I know that is more than you ever wanted, but someone has to respect the Spouses more than to just offer the same things over and over again and share in the traditional frustration of poor engagement and low return interaction.
I think Spouse-Buzz cares and could do this. It is differentiating and a singular unprecedented collaboration to serve the Spouse as they need it and not how everyone wants to serve them. They need to be open to more services that exist now and in the future, and this is a way of changing that game to help virtually all stakeholders. It is unprecedented.
Take Care.
Military Family Voices
1 of 4 Parts
Amy, what you are doing here so incredibly important. Start the dialogue of Military cultural engagement. In my observations, for anything to rise to the top of the relentless pressures, unpredictabilities and worries associated with just living and then on top of that living the Military life, the opportunity to get involved in anything has to become part of the every day culture or it has little chance of being recognized as worthwhile and then used. I support what you do and the following comments/opinions are offered collaboratively to that good end:
“Surveys” are a magnificent example of an easy thing to do for someone who is already web savvy but who just cannot see it as useful enough for them to even click to start. In my opinion, there are many things that could be done to accomplish the same mission and indeed may be necessary just to keep from hitting the same wall with the same well-intentioned heads. Everything would be purposed to make this “survey-type function” a part of the culture, and everyday thing to adopt as one's own. I believe it has to be a natural as clicking on a web site to see what is THERE FOR YOU TODAY. They must take ownership.
“Ownership” is obviously what your site Spouse-Buzz seeks to stimulate for loyalty, more permanent engagement and certainly for referrals, growth and influence. If you could stimulate and sustain “ownership” for elements within Spouse-Buzz then those would have a sustainable cumulative effect of developing “ownership” for Spouse-Buzz, itself. I suggest that the “function” of reader/subscriber engagement for mutual benefit of the reader and of the general population is the paramount element to focus upon. That means that interactions, opinions, feelings and thoughts from one are useful to the many. That sounds like a BLOG but I am suggesting it is absolutely not.
This “element” cannot be a blog and should not be called a “survey” because that means public opinion, and few Military Spouses I deal with think anyone wants their opinion or that it serves any purpose to give it. That does not mean that they would not like to give it, but their perspective seems to be turned around about when and where it would ever really be worth going out of their way to deliver. It’s not part of their culture to do so…..and certainly not to feel its value. Therefore, the participation numbers in many things from activities to surveys are miserable.
For example, any Brigade has exactly the same problem in setting up at great expense wonderful functions and resources for their Members and Families. They set it up, and few show -unless it is mandatory. The services and opportunities they offer just do not seem to be well integrated into their population as a continuity of recognizable services, part of the culture. In other words for instance, if the single Soldiers and Families do not feel the benefit of the opportunity every day, it becomes just a remote, periodic option……and they just cannot get around to engaging, and that is to the constant frustration of the organizers.