Donnaleigh's Tarot

A special THANK YOU to everyone who participated in our Beyond Worlds survey. Your comments have helped us to learn more about what you as listeners like and don't like in the show. We're working the best we can with the technology we have, and we hope that we can make the show more satisfactory for you.

Some interesting tidbits:

* The majority of our listeners are advanced tarot readers

* We were rated highest for our content/information and professionalism.

* Our most-liked shows are the Tarot Intensives and Panel Discussions

RESULTS

We had 41 generous people take the survey (Thank You!). Comments were as follows.

1)  Most of the survey responders had listened to between 20-50 shows, followed by people who had heard over 50 shows.

2) More than half of the responders are advanced readers, followed by intermediate readers.

3) Of the rating scales, we were rated highest on our  information/content, followed by professionalism.

Another way to look at it is in the chart below, but this chart is rated by the shorter bars being the best rated:

Comments on this rating scale were as follows:

• absolutely love the tarot content. I would like to see intuition and other forms of divination touched on as well.
• Many of the sound bites (female voice in the intro, applause button) are distorted, difficult to make out, and generally of very poor audio quality. It sounds like a minor detail, but it's enough to keep me away from listening to more podcasts!
• Only thing that doesn't always work for me is blogtalk chat only works on my computer if I lower all security settings on my firewall. But getting into chat (or not) is not required for me to 
• I am a big fan of BWT. I can say it enhances my tarot reading knowledge and wisdom. DL, the co-hosts and the guests are just fabulous. I don´t miss anyone. And we can hear from the archives too. All for free. A-MA-ZING.
• I wouldn't mind shorter programs, to save time.
• I never downloaded the show
• To be quite honest, I'd be more than willing to share my concerns but I have none.
• Not a concern: I didn't mark full on professionalism, but that is part of what I like about the show, it's not too sterile and 'professional' but also not just a bunch of friends chatting. You walk the middle line excellently.
• I am not much help, sorry. Keep doing what you are doing. It's great!
• Download - individually, shows are difficult to find or download. Once connected to iTunes, easier.Professionalism - Delightful hosts and guests. Coming from a professional radio background, I just have higher standards.Quality - BlogTalkRadio sound or engineering quality could use improvement. (A note from DL: Our shows are organized by guest and content at donnaleigh.com/bwshowlisting.htm. I added this to the intro paragraph on our Blogtalk page a couple of years ago, but it can be easily overlooked.)
• Love the show, just wish I had more time to listen to it!
• audio quality could be better
• The guest who don't prep there own work before coming on the show. I know you can't coddle every guest it up to them to know there own stuff.
• When more than 2-3 guests/panelists, things get confusing. Since the discussants aren't in the same space, they don't have body language to tell who's "up next" to speak, so there's either talking over one another or silence (or sometimes someone droning on and on when they should have quit 5 minutes ago...)
• are you sure you need to make changes? lol

4) We asked what people liked best about the program so we could continue doing those things. Here is a sample of those responses. Thank you for the very kind things said here.

• Diversity of content. Very genuine and pleasing hosts. Minimal sales pitches
• I love that so much detail is given on each card and that a variety of decks are covered.
• Topics covered are wonderful.
• The focus on education and the diverse knowledge of the guests who speak.
• I listen in car during commutes and usually find a statement or two that someone says that clicks in my brain as a deeper understanding of a card that you can't find in books
• The comfortable, relaxed exploration of the tarot, with the many different host's perspectives and wealth of knowledge is to me invaluable.
• friendly approach
• I think ANYONE who wants to start learning Tarot needs a minimum of 3 things. 1) a deck 2) one "beginners book" 3) listen to Beyond Worlds
• information about topics that i am lacking some experience in
• The relaxed tone, and the extremely high quality of guests!
• I love Donnaleigh. BWT is wonderful because she IS wonderful. Creative, professional, wise, didactic.
• I like the guests you have.
• The warm friendly atmosphere extended by the hosts and the interesting variety of guests. I love that it's all about tarot.
• The interviews...and DL
• I love that I can create a folder of the podcasts i.e. intensives, and use them as a review.
• I really appreciate the ways you keep things fresh. One week is an intensive and another is a deck creator and then the next might be something unrelated to tarot like runes. I can feel the deliberate planning of programming
• I like the different points of view of the panel, the meanings they give to the cards in a given situation or those weird ones they found sometime for a card. I really LOVED the show with Paris Finley about energy balances and imbalances it was pretty clear and well explained. Fabulous.
• the guests and the fun chat room
• Variety of guests, topics. Openness to new is excellent. Loving the Lenormand material.
• The variety of information and guests.
• It is a niche community program. It is talking about things we like that most people don't care about. I think you are doing a great job. I also really like a lot of the host chemistry.
• Diversity of content.Donnaleigh's heartfelt and open-minded approach and tone.
• Different points of view. This is especially informative with the Tarot Intensives.
• In depth conversations with knowledgable people, great content
• Always informative and uplifting.
• I have only watched the first, it was warm and friendly and very engouraging.
• the altruistic spirit of DL and her guests/co-hosts sharing valuable information
• Different points of view plus visual materials. Ability to ask questions in chat.
• The variety of perspectives; you see and honor the diversity of Tarot and divination practices.
• Variety of guests
• That is not so dead serious, it's fun and witty.
• the information and learning opportunities, the guests, the personalities of the hosts.
• There is SO much information! I love the "Tarot Intensives" I also loved the early "Beyond Worlds" that had a general metaphysical focus rather than a specific Tarot one.
• The ability everyone has to laugh at themselves while discussing deep topics.
• The respect shown to others, as well as the exposure to decks, spreads, and interpretations from experienced readers.

5) What about the program could use improvement?

This was really important to me, because this is where I want to create betterment. I would love to be able to improve the sound, but the expense of getting the podcast onto a server other than Blogtalk would be higher than the already $800 or so I spend yearly to broadcast and have a site for handouts. If anyone knows of ways to do this without a large expense, I'd do it, even if we lost the ability to hear the show live.

Suggestions for improvement:

• Ugh. No specific area I can think of...
• The only thing that has been a slight problem is sound. If I turn my speakers up loud enough to hear some of the people, other people are really too loud. Perhaps there is a way to level out the volume on my end.
• Mainly the sound issues above. KILL the applause button. PLEASE. Re-record the intro to sound cleaner and less distorted. (A note on this from DL: the intro for the Meditation Moments has been re-recorded  for clarity and the previous episodes replaced. The main intro we have for our BW shows is actually crystal clear until uploaded onto BTR's system, which then deteriorates the sound quality).
  
• It would be great if everyone's phones were at the same volume, but I know that's just a technical difficulty. (A note from DL: I agree on this. For some shows where it was really bad I did need to go back and edit, which takes me an entire afternoon to do, something I don't care to do too often).
• Some co-hosts talk too much, and say very little, creating a false complexity - where simplicity would do.
• I wouldn't call this an improvement. More like an addition. I would like the occasional guests who really delve into intersection between Tarot and the related fields (Qabalah, Cube of Space, Astrology, Hero's Journey, Carl Jung and the Individuation process, Alchemy, Classical Mythology, etc.). For example, like the shows you've done with Robert Place on Alchemy. This is something I am interested in, but not sure if the majority of your other listeners would be.Also, I don't know how you could do this... but we know there are tons of people out there who are amazing at Tarot but they are "off the radar". Old hands at it, but not on Facebook and never go to a conference. I'm sure they have some interesting knowledge, but how would you find them??
• ...Stop inviting (certain guests) every 5th time. They're nice and all, but I'm getting a little weary of them, and I'm starting to think they're there when you can't get someone new.
• I think it could explore other types of oracles (like it is with the Lenormand cards). I would love to hear some show about Tea Leaf, Crystal Balls, Dark Mirror (my fave), Palmistry,... I know the main theme of the show is Tarot, but once in a while, one of this theme would be a wonderful and new adventure.
• Great program, however blog talk has been difficult to log onto lately.
• I appreciate all of the co-hosts. They each add such different points of view and experiences. Perhaps you might consider inviting a newbie to your ranks. It is always refreshing to hear the questions and insights the "Fool" might bring to the conversation.
• I loved the episode about energy balances and imbalances, you started with a sample reading (7 of cups lady) then every one gave their interpretations I think that was really helpful to understand how every reader relates the cards and applies them to the situation presented. Maybe more examples like that would be nice.
• I think the hosts can be distracted by the fun chat room
  
• Some are too long, others, not long enough! Know this is a tough area to get Goldilocks just right.
• Nothing comes to mind.
• 7 days a week programing. Haha, sorry DL
• Beyond the technical issues with the medium...Although I understand the casual nature of the program, sometimes it is too chatty for my taste. More could be learned from the guest and their expertise.
• Maybe more focus on the business side of things? I'm thinking about branching out beyond reading for myself, and have no idea where to start.
• The "canned audience clapping" sounds phony.
• sound quality, the rest is just perfect.
• Wine and cheese offered in the chat room ... ha, ha!Is there a place to post comments on shows that are permament. Like a forum? That could be a nice feature. And/or/but would I really do it / post there, given how busy I am?
• Staying on topic a bit more (I found this one funny, because I am constantly there to reel people back in, as staying on topic is important to me. And this was followed by this comment, next....)
• Sometimes it sounds like you haven't left yourselves enough room to simply discuss things. I know that this is because you are so concerned about delivering lots of content - which is great! But it's also okay to let things flow...as long as the discussion is on topic, it's probably fine not to cover every information bullet in your show outline. (Full disclosure: can be easier said than done. As someone who runs and organizes lots of meetings, gatherings, and discussions...I have the same "drill sergeant" tendency!)
  
• Sometimes the sound quality is not so good.
• Less academic, more utility.
• Not a thing!

6. Is there anything we have done that might have offended your listening tastes?

Most people said no, but two said yes.

Of the comments for this question, we received the following notes of feedback:

• You're going to have to try a lot harder if you want to offend me.
• I can't imagine how anyone could answer yes!?!
• Not at all, you guys are very professional and always treat everybody with respect, I love the jokes you guys do so it's fun and also interesting. I really enjoy listening at your shows, I have not heard more episodes yet because I listen the same ones over and over until I fully understand all the information you guys share.
• Not giving the guest your full attention
• No, I am a mature adult.
• Please, this is an adult show...
• I may not agree with everything that everyone does, but because you offer and encourage a diversity of opinions I see everything as an invitation to consider rather than something that must be.

7) What would be the ideal podcast length for you?

This one was extremely important to me and one where I'll likely be making the most changes. Most people (44%) would like 60 minute shows, followed by the 90 minute shows we already offer. So we will be reducing many of our shows in length. Thank you.

Comments people made about the show length:

• It would be nice to have some short shows that are more about reading itself. I like that the long shows are chatty, but the short ones could be either - info about specific cards and techniques, related to tarot, lenormand, etc, - or readings for people/ random questions, perhaps something you come up with yourself, where you focus more on the process of how you get to the conclusions, sort a "behind the scenes of a reading".So - short and informative, or long and chatty (+ informative, but that happens all by itself).
• 2 hour shows are perfect because you make every second a rich second. I´ve heard some radio shows (2hs or less) and I was so tired in the 30 first minutes that I just gave up. Waste of time! But your 2 hour podcast is worthy, from the beginning to the end.
• I think right now is okay in one hour, maybe you could reduce the intro, its usually around 10-15 minutes, I think 1 hr should be enough time to go over the topics.
• I do prefer shorter podcasts, but I don't think your topics could be covered in that time!
• Doesn't matter. I listen to Coast to Coast AM podcasts that are regular 4 hours. What ever you want to do is fine.
• Most people's attention span for learning new material is 90 minutes.I would reduce some of the opening fluff and get busy with the guest sooner. I also realize that the opening ritual allows the hosts, guests, and listeners to get on board if their are delays.
• Depending on the guest and/or subject, 2 hours. Of course, this may be my own bias as I could listen to Robert Place all day. And Ciro Marchetti...Mary Greer...Rachel Pollack...you know what I mean!
• 30 minutes is just longer than my commute and would be easier to consume.
• I'm fine with a podcast going 2 hours, especially if the content/conversation warrants it. I think a show should simply go for as long as it organically wants and needs to. Especially with podcasts because those can be listened to anytime, and in smaller chunks, versus a live show which would require a person to sit a listen for that chunk of time.
• 90 minutes is rather a long chunk of time, but I do believe all the shows that I have listened to have needed that amount of time and been easily filled with excellent info. I can see going to 60 minutes, but I would think that 30 minutes would just be too short to go to any depth.
• I really don't have time for long drawn out shows. I love listening but there are so many choices 
• 60 minutes including the music is a perfect length of time for me.
• Doesn't matter a ton to me. I listen in the car so they get broken into 45 minute chunks regardless. One though though, if the show is shortened then the intro and outro "bookkeeping" may need to be adjusted to keep things proportional.

8.) We asked people to rank the following Beyond Worlds features from favorite to least favorite.  Tarot Intensives took the lead, followed by our panel discussions with multiple tarot readers, and then Technique Ideas.

Another way to look at this chart is as follows. Again, the SHORTEST bar is the highest ranking:

9) When we asked how likely responders were to recommend our podcast to someone learning tarot, the responses were as follows.  (Thank you).

Comments about making referrals to our program included:

• I often recommend it.
• I already have recommended to many people.
• I recommend this program to all my students.
• I always mention BW in the classes that I teach and at Mass Tarot

A special "Thank You" to those who have recommended our podcast to tarot students!

10. Lastly, I asked, "Do you have any last comments or personal feedback that might help us program better and fit your needs?"  And we we received the following feedback:

• Would love another episode about "coming out of closet" and/or discussing the controversy (reconsiling) with Christian beliefs. Maybe an episode about how to go about DESIGNING your own deck. Talk about the creative process behind, not so much the productions. Dusty White has some great beginner techniques, podcast, and a great book. Would love to see him as a guest. Oh! Also love the "Sun and Moon Tarot" would love to hear from the artist. FINALLY maybe two lessons, one of the golden dawn system, and one on Thoth (back to back? Since they are related?)Great show!! 4 mo newbie here.
• Thank you for doing what you do!
• Please keep doing this.
• You are doing amazing. Keep up the awesome work
• Love everything about the program!
• Love Robert Place - I'm a fellow art/art history/symbolism lover
• Most radio programs/podcasters don't last as long as you have. I want to express a very sincere and deep thank you for all the work you've done, and the generous commitment to the Tarot Community. You are AWESOME! (and also a big thanks to your co-hosts!!)
• I really love the show! It seems like you've covered so many topics, and usually when I think of something I'd like to learn and search for it, you have already done a show on it!
• Yes! I do! DL - rock the world, sister!
• While I know the emphasis is on tarot, I really enjoy your other divination programs. It really helps me branch out and experience so many more things. Please keep doing this!
• Just want to say thank you because to do all what you guys are doing involves time, precious time and you are sharing wonderful knowledge. Thank you.
• Yea...the hosts should not be paying attention to the chat room...or only one should
• Prefer interviews with non-famous people.
• The reason I marked the moments as low is that I always expect to need some quiet/medative time to ponder them and normally if I can't listen online, I listen on the way to work. However I've found the few that i've listened to don't really fit that so a) I need to adjust my listening and b) possibly a rename of the short eps would be clearer?
• Thank you for podcasts. Or I would miss most of the shows.
• Many blessings to you, Donnaleigh, for your dedication and commitment to presenting this program. I will be sad when the day comes and it is no longer offered. You are a delightful spirit. Thank you!
• I would love to see more shows on the business side of Tarot. Valentina Burton just released a book on this. She would be a great guest.
• thanks for all your hard work!
• I really do enjoy the show very much overall.
• No, but thank you x
• Love you, Donnaleigh!
• It was really hard to give a specific rankings above. My appreciation of all of them are pretty well matched. And Lenormand is at the bottom perhaps only because I have not listened yet.Thank you so much for all the work that I can only imagine this takes. The quality is excellent and quite amazing when we remember that it is all volunteer on the part of DL, hosts, and guests!
• I wish there where more time for me to listen to all of your Pod Casts. They really do help me to become a better reader and I personally thank you for all your hard work and the ranking above was really hard because I love them all.
• Panel discussions in part 8 would be ranked much higher if the panels were of more manageable size as mentioned in another comment.
• Number 8 was very difficult. Hard decide which one of these points I like best when its all done so well.
• Love the show!!! <3 <3 <3
• I want to thank you very very much for the amazing voluntary work you do Donnaleigh... This show has been crucial for my education as a tarot reader. Without it I would be miles away from where I am now regarding the quality I put into my readings. I hope you're not thinking of ending it. The continuity of Beyond Worlds has given me in the past the motivation I needed to keep up the effort to educate myself more and to read better. I love the american revival of the Lenormand and your interest in it. I have been reading with Lenormand methods for some years and it's a blessing to feel the breath of fresh air coming from the US to Europe. I loved the 2 shows and hope to hear new stuff as soon as you can. Thanks again and please continue the amazing contribuition to cartomancy with your excellent show
  

And thank you to all of you for your comments, lovely notes, and constructive criticisms. You will be seeing many of these suggestions implemented in the upcoming year.

We are grateful for your continued support and hope to continue to bring intelligent Tarot to the world.

Warmly,

Donnaleigh

www.Donnaleigh.com

Learn more about the secrets of reading tarot at our award-winning educational tarot podcast.

See a listing of all show topics HERE.