Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Pet Blogger Challenge

By

Today I’m taking part in the Third Annual Pet Blogger Challenge Blog Hop, created and hosted by Go Pet Friendly.  I found out about this challenge too late to participate last year, so this is the virgin tour folks.  My very first time. 🙂

Here are the first timer questions.

1. When did you begin your blog?

December 1, 2010

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?

I originally started the blog to gain an online presence.  To have enough people interested in what I had to say, to make myself and my children’s book desirable to an agent/publisher.

3. Is your current purpose the same?

I’m pretty sure it’s not.  I’m pretty sure (at least for the moment) I want to focus on my blog.

If not, what’s different?

First I feel like the book isn’t really that good and second I think maybe I’m not cut out to write a book.

If so, how do you feel you’ve met your goals?

4. How often do you post?

I post every day.

5. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you?

I’ll start a post when the spirit moves, but sometimes it will sit in the dashboard for months before I finally finish it.

If you publish on a schedule, why? How strict are you about your publishing deadlines? What do you do for inspiration when it feels like you’ve covered every topic?

I’m afraid if I don’t keep to a schedule, I’ll lose interest and not post at all.

I usually write my post the night before, if I love the post, I’ll schedule it for early publication in the morning, if I think it could use a bit of tweaking, I’ll publish later in the morning, but it has to be up by 10:00 am.

When I’m totally lost with nothing to post about there are a number of things I do:

  • I sometimes go see what my fellow bloggers are writing about, sometimes one of their posts will inspire me.
  • I look through the dashboard to see if there are any posts in there I want to work on.
  • I look through pictures of the dogs and see if one of those sparks a story idea.
  • I google dogs and see if any stories pop up that resonate with me.

If you don’t publish on a schedule, why? How do you think your decision affects your audience? How do you know when a topic is “post-worthy?”

6. How much time do you spend writing your blog per week?

I spend an enormous amount of time every week working on my blog.  If I had to put it in terms of time I’d probably say two to three hours a day, between thinking about it and actually writing.

How much time visiting other blogs?

I probably spend at least 12 to 15 hours a week visiting other blogs.

Share your  tips for staying on top of it all? 

It’s hard staying on top of it.  I used to respond to every comment that people left on the blog, but lately that has fallen by the wayside. 

I decided if I was going to be serious about blogging then it had to be a priority.  I make the time to blog, it just has to be that way.

As for keeping up with others, I have all of my subscriptions in my google reader.  When I sign in I usually hit my favorites first, then start working my way down.  I’m a very fast reader which helps tremendously, but when I’m really crunched for time there are many days when I don’t comment on a post I’ve read.

7. How do you measure the success of a post and of your blog in general (comments, shares, traffic)?

I’ve never been good at measuring my blog’s success and I will be the first one to tell you I have no idea how all that works.  I will sometimes look at the stats to see how many daily views I had.  I think more often than not I look at the comments.  When a post has a lot of comments, I feel pretty good.

Okay,yesterday I did look at my subscribers and it’s still stuck on 54, even though the stats show at least twice that in terms of views.

Do you look strictly at the numbers, or do you have a way of assessing the quality of those interactions?

Like I said, I’m not big on looking at the numbers.

8. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one issue you’re having with your blog, what would it be?

What can I do to make this a better blog that would attract more subscribers and sponsors?

9. What goals do you have for your blog in 2013?

I want this to be a great blog, to be one of the first blogs you go to.

Whew, that wasn’t as bad as my first time at certain other things!. 😉

Holy woof woman, can you sensor your mouth once in a while?

Holy woof woman, I’m so tired of your feeble attempts at humor.

 

Thanks to Go Pet Friendly for hosting this awesome event.  You can hop along using the link below to see what my fellow participants have to say.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Comments

comments

Comments

    • I might be blog organized, but that is it. My goals this year is to be better organized all around. 🙂

  2. I think time is a factor for all of us…that seems to be the biggest issue. It is amazing how hours can just fly by when writing our own posts or reading/commenting on other blogs.
    You are doing a great job though!
    I have two blogs and often I feel as if I am going to tear my hair out lol.
    I have had to cut down on commenting on blogs as well, but I DO still read the over 200 blogs that I follow, I just don’t always comment.
    Last year I was posting 5-6 days per week and this year I am trying to take it back down to 3 days per week and reserving the other days for if something comes up that I really want to blog about.
    Stick with it you are doing a fabulous job!

    • Thanks Caren, through all the posts I’ve read that took part in this challenge (and I still have a ton more to read) the overall theme has been time. Let’s face it, writing a quality blog, then promoting it on social media is time consuming then add in all the rest of the stuff and it can sometimes be overwhelming. Good for you for adjusting your schedule. 🙂

  3. Really enjoyed your Challenge post. As you know, I don’t respond to my blog comments (much). That’s due to time, so I totally understand when other bloggers don’t. And I really enjoy your blog, so I have no suggestions for improvement!

  4. I wrote out my answers on Tuesday. Now all I have to do is get on my laptop and type them in.
    I’m just not sure yet how I’m going to link it up since I have the free version of WordPress. Luckily I kept your email with the tips for Pamela’s gift exchange…and I can access it on my KindleFire for reference. Geez, is it really the 10th of January ALREADY?!

  5. Hi Jodi; Thanks for visiting my blog. 🙂
    You have a wonderful cast of characters and I look forward to reading more about them. Your blog has attracted at least one more subscriber now and I think it’s very interesting. Hope others do, as well.
    Love the photo of Delilah on this post!
    Cheers,
    Debbie

  6. Thanks for letting us in on the inside story of Jodi’s Heart Like a Dog. You are so methodical, which comes as no surprise to those of us who read and enjoy your blog on a daily basis. A big thank you to Delilah for giving you interesting experiences to blog about. My dogs have gotten settled and predictable.

    • Awe thanks Jan, I admit to having a problem with creativity, I tend to take something at face value and do exactly what it says, no rule breaking here. LOL

      You need to get those dogs out and spice things up a bit!

  8. I usually come here first or near first. 🙂 Sometimes I can’t comment and have to come back, but I have read the post. Great answers, but I think I guessed what your answer would be to many of them. 🙂

  10. Well, I’ve actually done it! I managed to add my blog to your “blog hop” list. And when I tested it, it actually worked! WOW! I’m impressed! Not to mention proud of myself. Thanks for sending me the instructions last week!!

  11. You’re definitely one of the most organized blogs I read. 2 years old and still able to post every single day about Sampson and Delilah. That’s something!

    I used to reply to every comment too. Now, I mostly do group replies. Keeps me sane and the marriage going 😉

    • Awe, thank you! Yes, I was wondering if I shouldn’t just answer the ones that required it or lumped everything into one. 🙂

  12. You’re definitely not alone on the time thing!

    In case you’re wondering, this blog is on my list of must-reads because it is a great blog. I’m always awed by the variety and quality of the content you post. 🙂

    • Thanks Pup Fan!! I try to keep it interesting. 😉

      The time thing, OMG I do so need a timeturner, but then I’d be afraid of how far back I’d actually go. 🙂

  13. What a fun and interesting interview! I’m surprised that with so much discipline about blogging that you don’t just write another book. It made me laugh when you said you don’t think your book is that good. I think that every single time I read something I wrote. Then I soldier up, shake it off, and submit it anyway. I love your blog!

    • But it really isn’t!!

      Here’s the thing, with so much discipline involved in the blogging, I really don’t have time to write the book. LOL

      And thank you.

  14. I really liked your post and getting to know you a bit better. Yes time seems to drive us all nuts due to there never is enough. Looking forward to connecting this year!

  15. Jodi what stood is something I’m struggling with…I have always tried to respond to every comment left on my blog…it was my only way to say thank you …recently i’ve found myself slacking off on that & feeling guilty about it…i want it all…i want time to write, time to read and comment on other blogs and time to respond to everyone who visits me…and then i want time to work and eat and sleep and play with my dog LOL can someone please tell me how to fit it all in?

    • I’m with you! I think the key is to be financially wealthy so one doesn’t need to work. 🙂 You know I did keep up with every comment for almost two full years and then it just got away from me. 🙁

  16. Lots to do so little time! I’m working towards getting more sponsors. As soon as I find the secret formula I’ll let you know. As far as getting traffic and subscribers the majority of my traffic comes from the search engines. If you have any questions about anything I’m doing on my blog please don’t hesitate to ask!

    Good luck with your goals in 2013!

    • You’re a great guy Colby and a good friend! Let me know what you find out, in the meantime as I learn and grown I’m here to help you as well. If I can share anything or even if you just need to bounce and idea off me.

      Here’s to 2013 being our year!!

  18. I was looking forward to reading your post for this!

    I think you need to give yourself more credit for writing a book. Really? You feel this way? I am surprised.

    Second, I hear you about a writing drafts. I was looking through my posts the other day and I have a ton of drafts! Some of them are done and just never published. Some took hours to write and are just sitting there!!! I must be better about this!

    I want to see you being you here on the blog. I love they way you write and tell stories:)

    • Thank you Jen!!

      You’ll find this out, but basically I’m a very insecure person, I have no confidence in my ability and never feel like anything is good enough. There I said it!

      I have tons of drafts in the dashboard, maybe we should make a pact of finishing one per week. 😉

  19. Hi Jodi – thanks for participating in the PB Challenge! You’re one of the few bloggers who is like me regarding scheduling. I blog on a schedule because if I don’t I’m afraid I’ll stop blogging altogether. I’m not a big commenter so I don’t get discouraged when I don’t see a lot of comments. I assume that people simply don’t have time to comment or don’t feel they have anything to add. One of the nice things about this blog hop is that my regular readers ARE commenting, so that sort of confirms my suspicions. Good luck achieving your goals in 2013!

    • Vicki, yes!! I’m afraid one day off will turn into two, four, eight and before you know it, I’m not blogging anymore.

      Best of luck to you this year as well.

  20. After reading everyone’s posts, I am wondering if I should get back together with Google Reader. It’s been several years and I don’t know if he’ll have me back at this point but maybe I should offer him some flowers in the hopes he’ll forgive me… It seems people do find it a time saver. But I don’t know… Those angry numbers in the “unread” column did some damage to my psyche… You’ve given me a lot to think about. I am so glad you could participate this year! Good on you for being so disciplined!

  21. I appreciate your comments here, and soooo relate to much of what you say. You have a great thing going here! Many lessons to be learned!
    Best Wishes!

    • Thanks Coralee and thanks for stopping by. I found a lot of great blogs from this challenge. 🙂

  22. Hey Jodi –

    Congrats on maintaining a posting schedule! I seriously struggle with that more than any other part of blogging.

    AJ

    P.S. I would love to read your book.

  23. One of the best things you can do to increase your subscriber numbers is to ask people to subscribe. Now that you’re on WordPress, there are plugins that will remind people to subscribe at the bottom of every post.

    Others swear by guest posting.

    As for me, I won’t show up on your email subscriber list (I absolutely hate email). But Google Reader is my friend. 🙂

    • I probably shouldn’t gage the success of the blog by subscribers as the stats show I have far more readers. And I should base it on my own experience, I subscribe to less blogs now, but instead subscribe in my reader, I wonder if there are stats for that?

      I feel bad asking people to subscribe because that means they will get an e-mail every day and I know my inbox is already stressed enough. 🙂

  24. Wow, are you my twin? We started our blogs for similar reasons, seek inspiration from similar sources, spend a lot of time on our blogs, I use Google Reader, etc, etc. Nice to meet you and I’ll try to stay in touch through Google Reader.

  25. I think you’ve really done great things with your blog this year Jodi. I love some of the posts where you’ve let Sampson & Delilah shine. I feel like this is going to be a great year for you!

  26. Welcome to the Pet Blogger Challenge! I hope that this blog hop has brought you some more loyal readers and subscribers. As far as locating sponsors, I think reaching out to companies you already know and love is the best strategy. Also, having an idea about what you’re looking for and what you can do for them before you approach them is a good idea. They’re in a hurry like everyone else, but if a good opportunity catches their eye, they’ll take the time to make it happen.

    Good luck in 2013 – I’m looking forward to following along on Google Reader!

    • Thank you Amy and thanks so much for hosting this blog hop, it’s been wonderful!! I still haven’t had the opportunity to go visit all the participants!

Trackbacks