UCB Parents and Parents of Teens

Member Survey

Note This was a survey conducted in 2001 of Parents Net members. Click here to see the results.

Thanks for filling out this survey. Your answers will help us figure out what our next step should be. All replies will be private, and results will only be displayed as total numbers. Once you've completed the survey, you'll be able to see the totals on surveys received so far, including yours.

1. Which newsletter(s) do you subscribe to right now?

UCB Parents (includes Advice, Announce, Childcare, House, Recommend, Marketplace)
Parents of Teens

2. When did you first subscribe to the newsletter you've been receiving for the longest time? (UCB Parents started in 1993 and Parents of Teens in 1999.)

in the last year 1-2 years ago 3-4 years ago 5 or more years ago

3. How did you first hear about the newsletters?

from a friend or family member
from a co-worker or fellow student
from an administrator at work or school
at a playgroup or support group
from a school mailing list
from the Parents web site
magazine or newspaper article
I forget
other (please use comments below)

4. Have you ever posted a message to a newsletter, or replied to a post?

yes     no

5. How often do you read the newsletter(s) you subscribe to?

rarely have time to read any of them
only have time to read them sometimes
regularly read favorite one(s) but not the others
usually read most of them
always try to read them all

6. Have you or your spouse/partner/family ever been affiliated with UC Berkeley, UCOP, or LBL? If more than one apply, please check the one you consider to be the primary affiliation.

no
faculty staff student alumni
prospective faculty, staff, or student other

(reminder: UCB affiliation is not necessary to subscribe)

7. What other local parenting groups do you belong to? Check all that apply. If none, just skip this question.

Easy Bay Moms
Lamorinda Mothers' Club
Mothers of Twins
Neighborhood Parents Network (formerly Neighborhood Moms)
Our Family
Other group:

8. How old are your children?

Please type a '1' for one child that age, '2' for two children that age, etc.

under 1 year old
1 year up to kindergarten
kindergarten through 5th grade
in middle school (6th to 8th grades)
in high school
post-high school and older
expecting/planning/waiting
not a parent

9. Please tell us your zipcode at home:

This is so we can get an idea of the geographic distribution of our subscribers.

10. The email address you are subscribed under:

(case is unimportant)

Note: Your email address will not be made public, and your replies will be anonymous unless you choose to give us your name. We're using this to make sure that subscribers don't accidentally submit a survey twice.

11. What do you think about the Parents newsletters becoming a non-profit organization, and perhaps seeking grants or corporate funding?

really like that idea
like it so much I'd help get it going
OK with me as long as newsletters stay the same
some other alternative would be better
don't really have an opinion either way

12. Assuming we're a non-profit, if there were a yearly subscription fee for the newsletters, with sliding scale for low-income, would you ...

probably unsubscribe
be willing to pay up to $10 a year
be willing to pay up to $15 a year
be willing to pay up to $25 a year
be willing to pay up to $35 a year
be willing to pay up to $50 a year

If you'd pay, would you consider using a web-based payment method such as PayPal.com to pay for your subscription?

yes     no

13. Here are some other ideas for improving the newsletters and/or for generating income. Please tell us what you think.

  • Paid announcements in the newsletter, such as music classes, support groups, and other fee-based activities and events (these would be clearly identified as ads).
    good idea     maybe     don't like it

  • Paid ads and/or links on the UCB Parents website (identified as ads), such as preschools, tutors, and other kid-related services.
    good idea     maybe     don't like it

  • Ask local employers to subsidize their employees' subscriptions to the newsletters.
    good idea     maybe     don't like it

  • Have some newsletters that you don't have to pay a subscription for, such as Marketplace, but non-paying subscribers would be charged a small fee for each individual posting.
    good idea     maybe     don't like it

  • Allow subscribers to customize their subscriptions, such as short-term subscriptions or opting to receive only the newsletters they want (e.g., you could select Teens and Marketplace and skip the others)
    good idea     maybe     don't like it

  • Create a members-only section on the website where subscribers can post and view time-sensitive messages, such as for-sale items, non-profit events, childcare shares, playgroups, etc.
    good idea     maybe     don't like it

    14. If you are a UCB Parents subscriber ... (skip this question if you only subscribe to Parents of Teens)

  • Which newsletter do you think provides the most important service for local parents?
    Advice Line    Announcements & Events    Childcare
    Housing & House-related    Marketplace    Recommendations

  • Which newsletter is your favorite one to read?
    Advice Line    Announcements & Events    Childcare
    Housing & House-related    Marketplace    Recommendations

  • Do you have a second favorite?
    Advice Line    Announcements & Events    Childcare
    Housing & House-related    Marketplace    Recommendations

  • Have you ever used the newsletter to find or offer childcare?
    yes    no

  • Have you ever used the newsletter to find or offer housing?
    yes    no

  • Have you ever bought or sold anything on Marketplace?
    yes    no

    15. Our parents' network has always been "on the wire". How interested would you be in getting together face-to-face with other parents on the network?

    I prefer an on-the-wire community
    Some get-togethers might be nice
    I'd be very interested

    16. Would you be likely to volunteer for some task on the Parents Network?

    no, don't have time
    yes, if it was a one-shot deal
    yes, if less than 3 hours/month
    yes, if I could do it by email
    I'd do anything within reason to help

    17. If we change our name from "UCB Parents Network", do you have a suggestion for a good name? Suggestions have included some combination of "Berkeley" ... "East Bay" ... "Parents" ... "Online" ... "Network" ... "Wired" ... etc.

    How about this name:

    Any other suggestions or comments?  This part of the survey will not be made public and will only be read by the newsletter moderators. If you'd like to sign your name, you can do it here.

    • UCB Parents Home Page UCB Parents Recommendations UCB Parents Advice
    The opinions and statements expressed on this page are those of parents who belong to the UC Berkeley Parents Network and should not be taken as a position of or endorsement by the University of California, Berkeley.