I am excited to be participating in my 6th Pet Blogger Challenge, hosted by Amy at Go Pet Friendly. Each year we get a list of questions to answer, and it’s a great way to look back and forward on our blog to see where we’re at, and where we’re going. It also gives us a chance to support our fellow bloggers and give encouragement and help where we can. Once again, this year I’ll include some cute photos of the Wag ‘n Woof Crew, for those that might not be as interested in the technicalities of blogging!
For those who may be visiting your blog for the first time, how long have you been blogging and what is your main topic? I have been blogging for over 5 years. My main topic is my life with my own pets, with an emphasis on staying healthy and happy. I share personal stories, product reviews, and cover training and health topics that we deal with personally.
What was your proudest blogging moment of 2017? My proudest moment was creating my new tagline “Barking About…. Love, Health, & Our Purr-suit of Happiness”, and getting a new logo done in line with that.
Which of your blog posts was your favorite this year and why? “You are My Sunshine”, my review of our golden retriever Sheba’s life with us (she passed last January). Looking back on those happy memories was very cathartic for me.
In terms of your blog, how do you measure success? I measure success by interactions. If people are commenting on, and relating to, what I write, I feel like I’m getting through. I recently had an email from a reader whose dog had just been diagnosed with luxating patella (also called trick knee). I’ve written several posts on the subject since we found out our Lab mix Luke has them. I am thrilled when someone feels they can reach out to me for advice, or simply for commiseration. That’s a big reason I do this.
In what ways has your blog changed in 2017? I’ve started writing much more about our little farm and our crazy birds (chickens and guinea hens). While it seemed risky to do that – not everyone is interested in farm birds – I still felt like many people who love dogs and cats love all animals. I’ve received some good feedback on our stories, so I plan to continue to share them. Part of the reason we got the birds was for the whole family to try to live a more healthy and natural life, so they really do tie in with our themes.
What was the biggest blogging challenge you overcame in 2017, and what did you learn that could help other bloggers? I guess it was the hesitation about making the big changes that I did. Taking that plunge was scary, but I’m so glad I did it. Don’t be afraid to follow your heart and your instincts. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help, opinions, and advice. It was this challenge last year, and the response I got to it, that helped me get up the nerve to do it.
When things get hard, what keeps you blogging? (Question submitted by Pamela Douglas Webster of Something Wagging This Way Comes) This year has been quite difficult for me technically. It seems like I’ve had to fix one thing after another on my blog, and I’ve needed professional help doing that. Trying to keep up with the times and the changes needed is stressful and can get expensive too! I’m still dealing with that. The truth is all of that has had me thinking about giving it all up more than once. What keeps me blogging then? A passion for writing and a passion for my pets. The community of friends, other bloggers and readers, that I’ve made. Some days it just takes one special comment, or someone reaching out to me about a mutual issue, to keep me going.
Looking forward to 2018, what are you hoping to accomplish on your blog this year? I think I’ll be happy to maintain the status quo this year. So much of my life is up in the air right now, that I can’t seem to focus on any kind of goals. I lost my part-time, outside the home job, last fall, after over 20 years and that has really thrown me off. I just feel like I have no idea how to plan when I’m in the middle of finding another job and trying to figure out how that will fit in with the blog, and the farm as well. I have big plans for the farm this year (hoping to plant a huge garden to sell produce, and to add to our bird flock as well). For now, I think I’m just going to focus on getting everything working right (the latest project is getting that SSL certification, so I can be a “secure” website) and plug along as I have been. I guess my main goal is to just be able to keep it going, while figuring the rest of my life out.
In addition to what you’d like to accomplish, is there one specific skill you’d like to improve or master this year? (Question submitted by Jodi Chick of Kol’s Notes) No, I don’t think I’m up to taking on anything more major until things settle down!
Now it’s your turn! You have the attention of the pet blogging community – is there a question you’d like answered, or an aspect of your blog that you’d like input on? Share it here, and we’ll answer you in the comments! One of the technical issues I’ve been having is problems with my e-mail notifications for new posts going out consistently and to everyone on the list. Do you have a widget/plugin or service you use that you love, or do you prefer a newsletter format for sharing your posts? Also, I am thinking of adding a little non-intrusive advertising to my site. I’ve heard MediaVine is good, so if you have experience with that or something else, please share. Thank you!
Great questions and answers, I love following your blog and love all your changes!! I love that you include the chickens and guinea’s! Have a great year of blogging.
Thank you, JoAnn!!
I love your new logo and tagline. Personally, I feel like when we write about the things we are passionate about our readers know and interact more. Your writing is terrific and I love that you added the farm animals and their interactions with the furry family members as well.
I am so sorry for your loss this year. My broken heart (our Shasta crossed the Rainbow bridge as well) reaches out to hug yours…
Thank you so much, Denise. I think you are right that readers can feel our passion, and that keeps them engaged. I’m so sorry for your loss and my heart is with you as well!
Happy New Year!!!
When it comes to informing people of new posts, I count on a few services:
1) For posts I want to share immediately, I use Buffer.
2) For posts that aren’t so immediate, I use MissingLttr, which is a service that shares posts over a year.
And I also use MailChimp, sending out a newsletter twice a month. I used to do an RSS on my newsletter, now I just share a few posts that are related to that newsletter’s message. This allows me to not only share new posts, but to go back and share older posts too.
Have a great year!!!
Thank you, Kimberly! I had just read something about that MissingLttr recently, so I definitely plan to look at that. Your newsletter sounds great, especially that you include older posts in there too. What a great idea.
Happy New Year to you too!
“Don’t be afraid to follow your heart.” – YAS. I honestly wish this motto was delivered, engraved to every single blogger out there. Too many of us waste more time than needed wondering if what we’d love to do is the right move. Stay true to you and you can’t go wrong. Wishing you tons of luck finding the perfect new job for you. You’d be a credit to any company!
Thank you so much, Jodi!
I love your stories, both about the canines and the farm. I think that the farm is a fun new twist in your blog. It’s also fun reading about how you handle the dog-farm bird interactions!
I can’t help with your question. I still use google’s blogger so my email list is handled by it.
I’m so glad you enjoy the farm stories too. Thank you!
Thanks so much for participating in the Challenge again this year, and I love your new tagline and logo. It’s wonderful to read that the support you received in response to last year’s challenge gave you the courage to move forward – that’s what this is all about!
I am sorry to hear that Sheba passed, and that you’re looking for a different job. It sounds like you have plenty on your plate for 2018, and I hope it all goes smoothly. I added MediaVine ads to my blog this year, and it was a cinch! Once I made the decision to go ahead, I don’t think I spent more than 2 hours with the implementation. Once I signed up for the account, they took care of almost everything. It was a great experience, and it’s nice to have a little income trickling in from the blog. I hope 2018 turns out to be a fantastic year for you!
Thank you so much, Amy! This challenge always gets me thinking. There have been years where I considered not joining, then I’m always glad I did. Now I don’t hesitate at all…I know it’s going to be good for me! There is so much to learn from reading everyone else’s posts too, which is great.
So many changes … but so many new good things too! We love the new logo … seeing the birds … watching Luke and Cricket (and Sam) be their glorious selves … what a blessing!
♥ thank you!
I think you’re going in the right direction with your blog and the farm. You have so much content with all the animals and the farm now I’m very proud of what you’re doing. I’m almost disappointed you want to get another job as I thought the farm was your job now! Have a great 2018! Sandra and Dolly
Trust me, if I didn’t have to I wouldn’t be getting another job (darn bills to pay). Hopefully it will only have to be temporary, until things get going a little more with the farm in the spring and summer.
I love reading about your life on your farm, and I think it fits well with your blog. I can’t imagine having birds with my two, so how you juggle it all is so intriguing to me.
You know I had a crap year last year, so I get it. Trying to find a job and keep up with the ever changing blogging world is challenging, but I think you do a good job with it.
And comments and e-mails from readers keeps me going too, so I also get that part of it. Please keep doing what you’re doing!
I’ll keep doing it if you keep doing it! 😉
Thank you so much, Jodi, for your encouragement. ♥
You do an awesome job with your blog, always, and I so enjoy it all-but most happy when I see the other people/bloggers that enjoy it as well, and I see only affirmations here of how everything you have done is well received, and enjoyed! Keep it up, if it is your passion, that makes it worth it.
Thank you, Lynn!
We look forward to continued good things from you this year!
It’s scary making changes. Congratulations on your successful changes this past year! I send email notifications via AWeber in newsletter form for new blog posts. I must say I’m pretty unsuccessful with this process. There is a broadcast feature that will send them out automatically, but after all these years I have not set it up. I actually liked Feedburner for email notification, but it’s now pretty much defunct. Honestly, I personally don’t subscribe to many email notifications, but instead use feedly to track new posts on blogs I follow. I moved from AdSense to MediaVine about 5 months ago and they’ve been great. If you want to run ads and meet the 25K sessions minimum I highly recommend giving them a try. All the best to you in 2018!
Thank you so much for the feedback, Colby! I will take a look at those things.
Your logo and watermark on your pictures looks wonderful.
Glad you keep going even when it’s challenging to keep up with. I got my SSL certificate in November and I believe I still have the articles I saved to help me with the process. I’m no techno genius but I’m happy to help if you have any questions.
As for sending out posts, I use MadMimi and love it! It is so easy to use. Now that it’s set up (which was easy), I never have to think about it. I strongly recommend it.
Thank you for the feedback and offer of help, Pamela! The SSL is done (I got help with that) and next up is the e-mail notifications. I’m going to try to do that myself, so I will definitely look at MadMimi (you had me at “easy” – LOL)!
Your blog posts are always one of the highlights of our day, we love seeing what’s up down on the farm!
I love reading about your chickens and Guinea hens, I miss my chickens. They are so funny. Of course I enjoy reading about Cricket, Luke and Samantha too.
Thank you, Edie, I’m so glad you enjoy our variety of posts. I have gotten so attached to our birds already, so I can completely understand how much you must miss yours.
I love reading about your farm life. I have learned so much from your blog this year!
Thank you, Melissa!
I love reading about the farm animals. I had to stop using subscribe2, a couple years ago for the same reasons. I wanted to be able to keep my email list, and import it to a new email service. MailChimp was the only one I could find that allowed me to do that. I like it, and if I collect emails at art shows, I can add them to my list manually.
Thank you, Mary! MailChimp was one I was considering so that’s great to know, especially that it’s the only one you could find that lets you import the list. I would definitely want that!
Nice to learn more about you and why you blog. I enjoy your blog a lot.
Thank you so much, Ellen!
Jan, you know I love reading your posts. And I love you and the crew – you’re a part of my “extended” family! Our commiseration over issues between our “furry kids”, their individual quirks, and how much we miss our sweet angels, Sheba and Callie, really helps me get through the tougher days!
Keep doing what you’ve been doing, my friend. If I can help in any way – other than the technology part cuz I’m more lost there than you are (LOL) – you know how to reach me. I absolutely love your stories about your farm life! And particularly the birds – they make me laugh out loud for sure!
Thank you, Sue. Making great friends like you is definitely one of the biggest highlights of blogging! ♥
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Thanks again, Janet! LOVE the pictures of your pets!
Thank you so much for weighing in, Jenny!! That is all great to know, but I guess I’m going to have to work on my numbers a bit first! That gives me something to aim for anyway. 🙂
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I ALWAYS enjoy your posts and think you are a great storyteller. I am glad you have started sharing your bird posts. I love all animals, but really don’t know much about birds, chickens, hens, etc. I have learned a lot from your posts and they are also lots of fun!
I am so sorry about losing your job. I imagine that has been extremely stressful and hope you can find something else and figure out everything soon. I left my full time job of 8 years recently and although it was my choice to leave, it was much harder than I thought it would be – saying good-bye after so many years.
Looking forward to reading more of your posts in 2018!
Thank you so much, and I’m so glad you enjoy the farm stories!
I never had trouble leaving jobs in the past, but then again, before my last job I never stayed at the same one for more than a couple years! So even though I knew I’d be sad leaving this one, I didn’t expect it to hit me as hard as it did. It doesn’t help how it happened….which is kind of a long story…..but the whole thing left me a little bitter and depressed. Though as time goes on, that is at least lessening some.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about your farm life–especially the birds! I never knew they had so much personality and you have me wanting my own (although my neighbors probably wouldn’t find them as fun!).
Thank you! We found out having neighbors who are OK with it is important. You probably read the post where all the chickens went to visit our neighbor….good thing she didn’t have a problem with that (and her house is quite a ways from ours….you can’t even see it from our house, other than her lights through the woods during winter when the leaves are gone!
Good news, I’ve gotten your last three posts in my email, so it might be working once again. We hate tech issues because we feel so helpless and hate to have to spend money to get things fixed! We think your rebranding to adding the birds and farm side is wonderful. We too do what we want to do, not what the “in thing” to do is. If you post about what is in your heart, people will come. Good luck on the job search, that is not a fun thing at all. These days it has all changed so much too.
I have a feeling that fix was only temporary. Well, the SSL thing is done, so on to the next! Maybe it will be the last thing for a while.
I’m so glad you approve of the re-branding, and that is also something I love about your blog, the fact that you don’t go along with the crowd. I like to be a bit different, and hope that keeps things more interesting for both of our readers!
I hope we will hear a lot of stopries… about the crew and the chicken… ;O)))
and we are with Samantha… to be an indoor cat is great… specially when we moved to siberia overnight ;O))
No kidding, right? No one here signed up for Siberia – LOL! I have no doubt the crew and the birds will provide us with many new stories this year!