June 2005
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You reached us!More than 100 people gave us their feedback about CRC Reef’s publications, using both paper and online questionnaires. The lucky winner of the case of wine, drawn randomly from those who entered, was Ms Jeanie Heaslop from the Fitzroy Basin Association in Rockhampton, Queensland. Your feedback will help us ensure that CRC Reef’s publications are relevant to you. This is a summary of your advice to us, and how we plan to use your suggestions. Print or screen?A slim majority still prefer to get printed copies of the CRC Reef newsletter and Current State of Knowledge brochures. For the newsletter, 53% preferred a hard copy, with the remainder evenly split between the online webpage and pdf versions. Use of recycled paper for the newsletter was thought to be important or essential to 89% of respondents. 66% of people thought printed brochures were most useful, and those who prefer electronic copies were again evenly split between the webpage and pdf versions. While there seems to be a growing demand for webbased publications, CRC Reef will continue to publish newsletters and brochures in print, pdf and webpage form. NewsletterMost readers liked the design of the newsletter, 89% finding it very good, or good. Most people read between half and all of the stories in the newsletter, and think that the length of the stories is just right. They also said they enjoyed the stories, 85% saying the content was fantastic or very interesting. The newsletter reaches many more people through being passed on by readers – 53% said that their copy was read by 1-5 more people, 14% passed theirs on to up to 10 people, and 6% to more than 10 people. Brochures and web resourcesThe Current State of Knowledge brochures are very popular, with 91% of respondents finding them very informative or interesting. 65% thought the amount of information they contain was just right, with the remainder evenly split on whether they have too much or not enough. 92% thought they were very or quite useful, with the most popular uses being for general knowledge or to update scientific knowledge, for tourism interpretation, school and university projects, teaching, management, and to spark ideas for journalism and even children’s books! Two new brochures have just been published – an updated Coral Bleaching and Global Climate Change brochure is available online at www.reef.crc.org.au/publications/brochures and a brand new web resource about the Status of Queensland’s East Coast Fisheries can be found at www.reef.crc.org.au/research/fishing_fisheries/statusfisheries. Topics suggested for future brochures included artificial reefs, and what people can do to protect the Reef. People also asked for information about coral, fish, sharks and seahorses. You can find information about coral reefs and the plants and animals in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park on our website in the ‘Discover the Reef’ section www.reef.crc.org.au/discover. We’ll continue to develop this online resource. Around 85% of respondents to the questionnaire had visited the CRC Reef website. 67% of website users had broadband or Local Area Network access, while 33% had dial-up internet service. Of those who had visited the website, 56% found it easy or quite easy to find information on the website, 26% found it OK, and 18% difficult or sometimes difficult. We will try to improve navigation around the website. For those who are having trouble finding information on the website, there is a search engine link at the top right of every page of the site. 17% of web users thought the content of the CRC Reef website was fantastic, 56% very interesting, and 24% OK, with 3% finding it mediocre or uninteresting. Most respondents also liked the look of the website. Publications, updates on research, project outlines, contacts, and information on the Reef, tourism and marine animals were thought to be the most useful information sources on the website. Some of the suggestions for new pages included summaries of current research findings, a who’swho of marine research, links to grants and scholarships coming up, and up-to-date information on world initiatives in coral reef management. We’re looking at incorporating some of these ideas into the website in the future. Who are you?Respondents came from a range of backgrounds, with 37% involved in management and planning, 34% in research and development, 22% in the tourism industry, 21% in teaching and education, 20% studying, 13% in the fishing industry, and 12% in extension and communication (some respondents were involved in more than one area). We really appreciate the time and effort of those who gave us their feedback. We’ll be putting many of your suggestions into practice over the coming months, so watch this space!
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PO Box 772 Townsville |
