At the close of voting, total votes cast was up 63 percent.
The third go-round of Reader Raves, The Republican and Masslive.com reader survey, has been the most successful yet with participation increasing by 63 percent.
Mark French, advertising director for The Republican and El Pueblo Latino, said the region is really starting to embrace Reader Raves, and there is no telling how popular it could become.
“(Reader Raves) is becoming well known. If you think of all the people who read The Republican and Masslive, it’s a huge audience,” French said. “To use that to power Reader Raves, I only expect it will grow. When do we reach the point of saturation? I don’t know.”
Reader Raves is the twice-a-year survey of highlights, hidden gems and various huzzahs in the Pioneer Valley There are two editions: Summer-Fall and Winter-Spring.
Reader Raves began in April 2012 and has fast become a fun way for thousands of readers to rave about their favorite Western Massachusetts people, places and activities.
Reader Raves differs from other best-of polls in that the participants are not asked to choose from a list of candidates which someone else has assembled. Indeed, there is no list. All of the questions are open-ended, and people are asked to write in whatever suits their fancy.
The Winter-Spring edition of Reader Raves concluded on Dec. 2 with more than 11,500 votes cast.
At the close of voting on May 5 for the Summer-Fall edition, the total votes cast was just under 19,000, French said.
“That’s up 63 percent from Winter-Spring,” he said. “That’s extremely gratifying.”
For the most recent edition, the number of categories was reduced from 100 to 75, spread over four separate areas: businesses, news and entertainment, sports and Pioneer Valley life.
The paring down of categories removed some of the dead wood (we’re talking about you, “Most Interesting Public Meeting”) and focused more on topics that people previously found appealing, he said.
Paring the scope down seemed to be a good decision. For some reason, 75 separate questions seemed more manageable while 100 seemed daunting, he said.
Another good decision was to extend the original voting deadline from April 28 to May 5, he said. “It was a smart thing to do,” French said.
The week prior to the deadline was the week of the Boston Marathon bombing, he pointed out. The days after the bombing were filled with shock and horror over the carnage. The president came to Boston for a memorial service, and the week concluded with the entire region being transfixed with the manhunt and ultimately the capture of those responsible.
Online readership was up at Masslive during that week, but with all that going on, the last thing anyone wanted to do was to fill out some survey about their favorite place to take a yoga class.
With the extension, the voting picked up the following week and finished quite strong, he said.
“Once things settled down, people were voting with rapt attention,” he said.
Among the winners, state Sen. Michael Knapik, R-Westfield, edged out U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, for Most Responsive Elected Official. Knapik is a repeat Reader Raves champion; he won the same category last year.
The White Hut in West Springfield was the winner of the Best Spot for a Fast Lunch, while the Student Prince in downtown Springfield was voted Best Place for a Business Lunch.
And, while Mohawk Trail was voted Best Place to View Fall Foliage, downtown Northampton is voted Best Place to People-Watch.
When it started from zero, no one — not the public and not business owners — knew what Reader Raves was or what the survey was even about, French said. When a local business was notified it had been voted a Reader Rave winner, sometimes the reply would be something along the lines of “a Reader what?”
Over the past year, businesses have taken a shine to Reader Raves and past winners make a point of promoting it, he said. And winners all look forward to the celebration banquet and awards ceremony that has come to conclude each edition. This year’s ceremony is planned for June 26 at the Log Cabin Banquet 7 Meeting House in Holyoke.
French said that as gratifying as it has been to see the growth of participation in Reader Raves, it has been also gratifying to see how the various winners are received.
He recalled the reaction at the banquet in January when Westfield police officer Charles “Chip” Kielbasa, a 21-year veteran, beaming with pride in front of his family as he was greeted with sustained applause when his name was announced as the winner of the Friendliest Police Officer category.
“It just shows the power of this thing,” French said.