It’s that time again! Time for the 6th Annual Pet Blogger Challenge hosted by Go Pet Friendly. It falls at a perfect time (right in the beginning of a new year) and it’s a great opportunity to take stock of your blog, share thoughts and ideas and get input from your readers and fellow bloggers.
If you’re just hearing about it now don’t sweat it, you can grab the questions over at the Go Pet Friendly blog and the hop is open through Monday the 11th.
Let’s get to it shall we?
1. How long have you been blogging? And, for anyone who is visiting for the first time, please give a quick description of the subject of your blog.
December 1, 2015 I celebrated my 5th year of blogging. Originally my blog started out on the free WordPress and was jodistone.wordpress.com but when I decided to self host, Jodi Stone was taken. So I struggled to come up with a unique and original title that might draw in readers. One day I saw a saying about how much nicer the world would be if everyone had a heart like a dog. I ran with it.
My tag line is “The Good, the Bad and the Oh My God of Life with Dogs.” Mostly I just share personal stories about my dogs, our achievements and challenges. I try to always find the humor in my situation because I’d like people who are struggling with training challenges (or challenging dogs) to feel like they aren’t alone. That they can have a dog that challenges them, and still keep their dog.
2. What is the one thing that you accomplished during 2015, either on your blog or because of it, that made you most proud?
I was pretty pleased to actually have two posts that I was paid for. I’ve been paid in product before, (which is awesome) but you know the green is what puts food on the table and keeps the lights on.
3. Which of your blog posts was your favorite this year and why? (Please include a link.)
This was a hard one for me. I really love writing humor, but being funny all the time is hard and it’s sometimes hard to find the humor in every situation, but I did find this one, The Sky Is Falling, which I thought was pretty funny and which I enjoyed writing. THEN AGAIN, The One, was a post I wrote for Sampson’s birthday, it was sweet and loving and I thought it came out really good and pretty much expressed how much this dog touches my soul.
4. A common theme from last year’s challenge was that many of us wanted to increase the size of our audiences. Whether or not we intend to monetize our blogs, it seems we’d all like to reach more people. It feels good to know that we’re connecting with others, sharing a laugh or supporting a cause, and it’s motivating to see those numbers grow! What is one thing you’ve done in the past year that has brought more traffic to your blog?
Truthfully? I don’t know that I HAVE brought more traffic to my blog. (I’m so not good at reading and analyzing those statistics etc..) I do try and have variety in my posting. And I try and limit my product reviews to unique and new products, and I only promote products that I use myself.
If I had to choose one thing, it would probably be that I’m trying to get better at being active on my Facebook page.
5. Which of your blog posts got the most traffic this year? Why do you think it was so popular? (Please include a link.)
According to the Jetpack stats, Happy Birthday My Love still gets the most traffic. I’m not sure how accurate that is, but that’s what they tell me.
We’re Trick Training So You Can Win Treats, was the one that was written this year, that got the most traffic. That was a really fun post because I made a video to go along with it and I personally loved the video.
6. What is one blog that you read religiously – other than your own – and what makes you such a devoted reader? (Please include a link.)
Honestly, I’ve really been struggling trying to keep up with all the blogs that are out there and I don’t get to read them as religiously I’d like to.
However, if you’re looking for a good read, I’d suggest Life at Golden Pines. Kim shares her home with senior dogs (mostly Goldens) she has her own, and she fosters as well for her local rescue. Her writing is beautiful and she really inspires me.
7. What resources do you rely on to enhance your technical, writing, photography, social media, or other skills that improve your blog?
You’ve read this blog right? I don’t do shit. The technical stuff is over my head. Mostly when I have a technical issue I ask my more knowledgeable friends.
Writing? My writing hasn’t improved. I start sentences with And. AND I use siriusly instead of seriously.
Photography? Take a look at my photos, I use a little point and shoot and it shows, almost all of my photos are on the fly. There’s no real skill in there.
Look…no props, no background. You call that photography?
8. What is the best piece of advice you can offer other bloggers?
Be yourself. I think some of the best compliments I’ve gotten are the ones that say, “Your blog is like sitting down with a friend and a cup of coffee and catching up, or your blog is just like talking to you in real life.” I think if you’re honest and authentic it shows and it will draw others to you.
9. What is your vision for your blog in 2016? Do you have specific goals?
Today. Right now. It’s to keep blogging. I waffle back and forth with this.
This blog is like a drug to me. I loathe it at times but yet I can’t stop myself being drawn to it and putting more of my heart and soul into it. I’ve put so much into it, I don’t want to give it up yet there are times when I feel so discouraged with it and my inability to make it what I want it to be.
10. You have the attention of the pet blogging community – is there one blogging challenge you’d like help with, or one aspect of your blog that you’d like input on?
I notice that very few of my posts get shared on Facebook. Is there something I can do to make my posts more shareable? And of course…how do I increase my readership? ;-D
That’s it; another Pet Blogger Challenge in the bag. If you have a few minutes grab the questions and link up. I promise you’ll get some great reads and some great advice.
Many, many thanks to Amy at Go Pet Friendly for creating and hosting this amazing hop.
Love your honest answers.
Very nice! Since we have been Blogging friends since I started my blog, I knew a lot of these things already. But you forgot to include how awesome you are at making everyone reading and commenting on your blog feel like they are friends!
I think the appeal to your blog is that it is so very real. There is no super fancy, just photos and words like most people have in their own daily lives. If you had super fancy photos, it wouldn’t match your style and if you every spell seriously correctly, we will worry that you are ill! Facebook is a tough nut, I would try to get shares everywhere and not worry so much about Facebook, but that is jut my opinion. It’s our largest referral for traffic, but we kind of let it run itself for the most part. Keep on blogging…we would miss you so much if you left.
There are so many of us at that 5 year mark. I hope you get blogging, even though it is hard to find the motivation all the time. It’s always a fun time over here.
Your answer to #7 is exactly why I keep coming back here. You just don’t find that sort of humor & honesty very often these days 🙂
And how that ties into the next answer is perfect. We often get bombarded by all those blogging gurus about how we have to do this or that… and in the mix the personality we love so much goes missing.
I wish I had advice for facebook but that “little” social network still eludes me. I don’t get it, and I don’t know how people end up with thousands of shares there. The only time it’s happened to me is if someone more popular shares something of mine which happens like once every 4 months or so.
I feel the same way about blogging sometimes… It can be discouraging. But I think that discouragement comes from letting other people define was “success” is. At it’s heart blogging is about writing & sharing. Whether it’s humor, educational or trying to become the next big dog blog is all about setting personal goals. I’m trying not to let other people’s definition of “success” make me feel like I’m doing it “wrong.”
Congrats on 5 years, seriously that’s awesome. I’ve had so many laughs here and that’s something I’ll always remember. Like the Maja Angelou quote which I’m sure I’ll butcher “People won’t remember what you said, what you wrote. They’ll remember how you made them feel.”
You could have written my answer to #9 too.
And to anyone coming afterward who hasn’t met Jodi in real life–yes, she’s exactly like she is in the blog. Except just a little more Jodi. 🙂
I love your humor regarding things that would frustrate Job. I enjoy how you tell it like it is, realizing that dog ownership is not all rainbows and butterflies.
This is just one of many things I love about you: “You’ve read this blog right? I don’t do shit. The technical stuff is over my head. Mostly when I have a technical issue I ask my more knowledgeable friends.
Writing? My writing hasn’t improved. I start sentences with And. AND I use siriusly instead of seriously.”
It’s your candor, your honesty, your lack of being an ego-maniac………your love of your dogs……..sharing? Pfffft!!!!!!! Numbers mean crap. It’s about resonating with people and being real. Trust me, when we all pass the number of shares, likes and twitter followers won’t be on our tombstones……..a quote about being real? Now that just might be there! Just keep doing what you are doing!
Another 5 year person here. And I understand how it can be hard to sit down and just WRITE every single day.
Honestly, it might be worthwhile to do even a touch of digging into metrics. If you could chart your success over time and see how it’s growing, you might be just a touch more motivated to start tapping away on the black days. I tried it this year, and it totally worked for me.
Hope you keep at it. I love your writing voice.
Jean from Welcome to the Menagerie
I love your advice. Just being ourselves makes blogging so much more fun and the rest will sort itself out. When I started trying to be what I thought others would want, I failed miserably.
Terrific advice. One of these days I’ll actually get my you-know-what together and take this challenge. Happy weekend 🙂
So, I haven’t visited your blog before, but I will definitely be back. I laughed (in a good way) through your answers. Love your honesty and style.
I love your blog!! Being real is SO important and is what I like most about the blogs I read. I think some people get away from the real part of blogging you know. Like having perfect pictures and perfect posts and that is not real life!! I really need to figure out SEO and be more active on social media but at the same time it is so fun to write and I don’t want to put so much pressure on myself that the actual blog isn’t fun. I would like to make some money so maybe I should do more behind the scenes stuff!!
Good news! Grammar Girl says you can start sentences with “And” and even “But” and that’s good enough for me, lol! http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/can-i-start-a-sentence-with-a-conjunction?page=all
I love your advice in Question #8, that’s what keeps me coming back here to hang out with you and have a laugh or two. 🙂
I love answer #7! I have several pics posted to my blog where my finger is a prominent part of the image. As far as making posts more shareable on Facebook I’ve found the image you feature is very important. Best of luck to you in 2016!
Jodi, Jodi!! You and I think alike on so many things! I love your advice, your responses to all the questions! And like you, I’m not a techie. My older brother is the genius in our family. I got the “gift of gab” and he got the photographic memory. But that’s fine with me.
Your answer to #8 is why I’ve kept coming back. We’ve never met in person, but our online friendship is at least as important to me as my offline friendships. And sometimes I get tired of blogging too. But when I remind myself that I’m mainly doing it to have written memories of Callie, Shadow, and Ducky, it becomes less of a chore and more of a source of entertainment for me.
Leave it to you to make me laugh while reading about pet blogging! I will also not be receiving and honorary degree in English from Oxford for my outstanding blogging. But I like how I write. And I like how you write. What else matters?
It’s your honesty and your humor that keeps me coming back. Plus you get it – you get the struggles of having dogs that go along with the joys, and those of us with less than perfect dogs need that.
I don’t tend to share many posts on Facebook, I’m far more apt to share on Twitter where I have a lot more followers. I just don’t always think of it. But honestly, I would just update your social share buttons. They don’t really stand out – something more colorful would draw more attention to them I think.
Our biggest traffic advice would be focusing on Pinterest. For us it brings the most traffic (by far) of any social media. The best part about it is that your pins can still drive traffic more than a year later!
I’m equally lost when it comes to Facebook – I had one outstandingly shared post on Facebook last year, but that had to do with a brand sharing it!! I personally prefer Twitter & Instagram, and apparently I’ll have to look more into making Pinterest work for me.
Being authentic and true to yourself is definitely important when blogging – I’ll have to start reading your blog more 😉
I’m so glad that I’m not the only one who’s not actively trying to improve the blog and is a-okay with whatever photos happen to turn up on my phone screen! I don’t know about increasing Facebook shares, but as I think a few other people mentioned, Pinterest is a great way to get lots of shares. I’ve only used it for a few posts, but the ones I have used it for have had 3 or 4 times the usual traffic of posts.
You really need to give yourself more credit. I know you’ve been struggling but you’ve done a wonderful job of keeping this blog going and writing fun posts. You’ve attracted new readers and you keep them coming back. You are you on this blog and that is why I love it! I’m gonna kick you in the butt when we get together for our girls weekend!
You are perfect exactly the way you are, Jodi! AND looking though the comments here, it’s clear that I’m not the only one who feels that way. You say you’re struggling … might I suggest that you let go of what you imagine you want you blog to be and relish the fact that people love it just the way it is? Stop seeing what you imagine are flaws, and embrace the down-to-earth, brutally honest, hilariousness that is Heart Like a Dog. You’ve found your niche – have fun with it. Or Jen will kick you in the butt. =D
Thanks for participating in the Challenge, and all the best to you and the pups in 2016!
I think your blog stands out because it is so real and conversational – like a friendship. A lot of blogs used to be that way but then you had to worry about providing “keyword rich”, information-heavy articles people were looking for to stand out. Now it seems that everyone does that…. so now you stand out because you’re connection with your readers is so personal. I know what you mean about struggling with your blog. Some days I think about “What if I just quit and went about my normal, private life?”. On occasion, that is appealing. I’ve put so many years of blood and sweat into my blog that I can’t truly imagine letting it go though. I think every blogger has to do what is right for them but I look forward to hearing about your 10 year anniversary 🙂
Great answers, you had me laughing!
It seems like my posts that get shared on Facebook have an interesting featured picture. I think that is the key for facebook shares, Whether people actually read the article is another story….lol.