Thursday, January 10, 2013

Pet Blogger Challenge 2013

I'm so glad to be participating in the Third Annual Pet Blogger Challenge! This is my first time participating in the Pet Blogger Challenge sponsored by Go Pet Friendly.  It's a wonderful way to get to know other pet bloggers and share information about improving our blogs, and inspire each other. 

With no further ado, here are my responses to the questions for first timers.

I first began my blog in November 2007.  The truth is that I began blogging because "everyone" said that if you had a business, you needed a blog.  So, I guess you could say I began blogging to check that off my business plan list!

It wasn't long before I realized that I had more to say about dogs than I did about my dog jewelry!  I found it was a good way to share events, adoptable pets, and highlight pet causes of interest to my readers (the majority of which are my customers and definitely dog lovers.)

In addition, though I do love working in my studio creating jewelry, I do not really enjoy the hours (and hours) of computer time essential to my business.  EXCEPT for blogging!  Most of the time, I wish I had more time to devote to my blog because it is just plain fun and gives me a feeling of satisfaction.

For the past three years I've blogged daily, sometimes posting twice a day.  I do have a bit of a schedule.  Every Wednesday, I do a Wordless Wednesday post of photograph(s) and now participate in BlogPaws pet blogger hop that day.  Every Saturday is Dog Song Saturday at Talking Dogs, when I feature dog music videos.  Every Sunday, I feature an adoptable dog.  If I'm reviewing a dog treat or we've tried a new dog treat recipe, I publish those posts on Tuesday in order to participate in the Tasty Tuesday blog hop.

For me, time is a four letter word.  There's never enough of it.  My dream would be to better plan and focus my blog, to clean up my blog pages and add pr/review information, and to visit other blogs more often and leave comments. These are my goals for 2013.

How much time to I spend writing my blog per week?  Too much, yet not enough.  There's never, ever enough time to visit all the other blogs I follow.  I allot two hours in the early morning to do social media:  Twitter, Facebook, Triberr, and others, plus try to visit blogs I follow in my Google reader.  More often than not, I don't have time to follow up on reader comments.

I measure my success by the traffic to my blog, the emails I receive from my readers and, yes, the phone calls.  For some reason Dog Song Saturday generates telephone calls and, in the past, posts I did on Missouri puppy mills generated quite a bit of email and telephone calls.  

If I could ask the pet blogging community for help with one issue, it would be regarding time management.  How do you do all that you do?!


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21 comments:

  1. Glad you joined the PB Challenge this year! I think pet blogging is a joy - who doesn't love to talk about and show off their fur kids?

    It sounds like you have a nice blogging schedule set up; I've never been able to accomplish that on my blog. Let's just say I like having the flexibility to change what I'm writing about from day-to-day without thinking about whether it's Wordless Wednesday or Favorite Video Friday. Like all things in life, what works for some people doesn't work for others.

    I also want to thank you for being so generous in sharing other people's posts. It's very thoughtful and greatly appreciated.

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    1. Thanks, Vicki! It is pretty revealing that since the Christmas rush died down, I haven't made one post about my business... (and that in itself feels like fodder for a post) because so much of the joy of blogging for me is simply about dogs.

      I love what you said in your own Challenge post about comments on other's blogs. So much of the time, I do the social sharing and then my mind is blank re: making a comment. I admire your blog so much, I thank you for the "permission." (If Vicki does this, it is okay!)

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  2. You make me laugh Sue :-) You are far more organized and on top of things than most people!

    I have personally found it impossible to keep up with everything - there are far too many blogs I would like to spend time responding to than I do, most weeks I'm lucky if I get one update a week done, and I do not create really lovely jewelry...in my opinion you're hitting it out of the park!

    You've also raised a point I'm considering currently. I have a new project that I will soon be raising awareness for and I of course first thought about starting a blog for it. Then I thought, 'hey, you don't have that much to say about it - maybe a web site that is a little less demanding would be a better idea.' This post is confirming that idea for me. Thanks for sharing your insights!
    chris

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    1. Thank you!!! Okay. Now, spill! What's the new project??

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    2. :-)

      Curious?

      Its related to my 'other life' where I work with disabled college students. I have a book scheduled to come out in the spring - I think the release date is March 4 - that helps families/students with disabilities be better prepared for college.
      I'll update you when the web site is ready to be up and running!

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  3. You always post great stuff, and that's a tough schedule. Time....where do we find more?

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    1. Thank you! When you find that elusive time, let me know the source! :-)

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  4. What I love most about your site (besides the jewelry) are the product reviews. You do them like no other. I feel like we're neighbors and you're telling me about a cool new treat that you discovered.

    Thank you for those!

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    1. High praise! Thank you! I really appreciate you saying that, because that is exactly what I've always hoped came across.

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  5. Time management seems to be the plague for all of us! There are just not enough hours in the day.
    You are certainly one of the most THOUGHTFUL pet bloggers I have ever met! I LOVE your blog but to be honest, I think you SHOULD brag about your jewelry more because it is some of the finest out there. From presentation when it arrives to quality.
    And...for those thinking that I am kissing up......noooo..I BOUGHT the pieces that I own. It wasn't given to me
    Glad you are in the blogging universe.....you definitely add a bright spot to it!

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    1. Oh my. You know, earlier today I made a note to myself that I should write a post about writing about my jewelry. It is very difficult for me to do. Anyway, thank you!!

      Wish I could afford to hire you, Caren! Bless you, my good friend!

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  6. Time is a 4 letter word indeed ;) I suspect if we had more of it, there'd just be more social media -ing to do. You get phone calls?! You're a brave soul to release that information to the world wide web LOL. Hooroo!

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    1. Brave? Not me! In fact, I'm as protective of my personal life and privacy as possible. However, I'm in business. Though I don't list my phone number on my blog, because I'm in business, I'm very easy to find.

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  7. Hi Sue! I've seen you on Triberr and am now following on Twitter and FB! My first PB Challenge as well. I love your style of writing and will be sure to read more! Woohoo!! First challenge is exciting isn't it?
    :)

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  8. I can spend hours "working" on time management. Do you see the problem here? The best way I have found is to continually tell myself to just relax.

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  9. This is also my first time joining the PB challenge. Time management issues sure seem to be a recurring theme! There is never enough time to keep up with everyone's posts, much as I'd like to. Interesting that you actually get phone calls after posts. I'm impressed with your blogging everyday, or sometimes multiple times/day! I don't think I could come up with enough topics to keep to that sort of schedule! All the best with your goals in 2013!

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  10. I think you're very organized Sue!! Far better than I. :-)

    That seems to be the theme in this year's challenge, where do I find the time? If you get the answer to that, please share it!!

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  11. My biggest time management tool is TextExpander. It's a little add-on you can buy (costs $40) that allows you to create abbreviations that expand out into full text when you type them. For example, if I type "xx" on my computer, it suddenly changes into Amy@GoPetFriendly. I have short cuts set up for my web address and email address too, and that makes commenting on other people's blogs much quicker. Once you get started, there's no stopping ... I have entire email replies that I can type with only a few keystrokes! The only problem is that it doesn't work on tablets or phones, so I'm really tied to doing my blog reading on my laptop.

    Thanks so much for participating in the challenge this year. And thank you also for your prolific sharing of other people's (including my) posts. You really are a one of the best sharers that I know!

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  12. Nice to meet you! Well, your blog at least got me to look at your dog jewellery, so I guess it's doing part of its job. :) It's lovely to think that, though you started blogging as a business venture, it's something you really enjoy doing. It's nice to like work, eh?

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  13. As I said in my own post, I'm starting to think we're fine time managers, you as well as anyone. If we didn't feel we were falling behind, it would mean we were being unambitious. :)

    I hope 2013 allows you to do the blogging that brings you joy.

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  14. We started blogging in the same year!

    I'm trying to better manage my time in 2013 as well. I'm making more use of my whiteboard this year to write down my "to do" list, goals, and projects.

    I do always feel like I need a few extra hours in my day.

    Good luck with your goals in 2013!

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