By now you’ve probably gotten a few reminders about a reader feedback survey we launched recently. If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I want to talk about why it’s so important to us.

Managing Editor Julia Arenstam(Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)

This is the best, scientific-ish way we have to understand what you want from our newsrooms. 

I spend a good bit of my days looking at data. I can see that the story people read most on all of our sites so far this month was our live election results, quickly followed by a story about Lewiston’s “Singing Soldier” and another about the former campaign staffer who keeps criticizing Graham Platner.

I can even see that our readers actually in Maine (at least according to your IP address) preferred the story about Tiny Homes of Maine abruptly closing. 

While all that data is great, it doesn’t give me the why. Why are you gravitating to the stories you are? Why aren’t you engaging as much with our coverage of how the rise of online betting is affecting young adults? What is missing from our coverage? Why is it easy or difficult to find? Where are we losing you? Where did we win your support? 

This survey attempts to get us closer to answering those questions, and delivering a better product for you. 

If you can spare about 10 minutes over a cup of coffee, tea or a gin and tonic on these hot summer days, I ask that you help us make our work better. And maybe you’ll even win a Visa gift card in return.

We all know some extra cash could really come in handy right now.