Although I may not be a “real” pet blogger, I think I’ve written enough Rottweiler-related content over the past couple of years to participate in today’s Pet Blogger Challenge, hosted by GoPetFriendly and Will My Dog Hate Me?.
So here are my answers to the questions of the day:
1. When did you begin your blog?
This blog started in November 2008 for NaBloPoMo. I did successfully make a post every day that month, and many of the posts were about my dogs and cats. I decided to keep the blog going and attempt to focus on two of my favorite topics: Rottweilers and technology.
My original blog was focused on my pets and their health issues and was active mainly from April-December 2002.
2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?
My original blog was started to record and share my pets’ health and training issues. This blog was started because I wanted to do NaBloPoMo in November 2008.
3. Is your current purpose the same? If not, what’s different? If so, how do you feel you’ve met your goals?
I’m struggling to find a purpose at the moment. With the dogs on hiatus from training and competition, and thankfully enjoying good health, I often find myself reaching for anything to write about. I don’t feel I have the writing or photography skills to make day-to-day life with my pets interesting to anyone but my family (and I see some of them yawning a bit when they think I’m not looking). So I definitely need some specific topics such as training or health to focus on. It would be completely against the spirit of this exercise to go back to training before we’re ready just to have something to write about!
4. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you? If the former, how often — and what techniques do you use to stick to it? If the latter, do you worry about… well, whatever you might worry about (e.g. losing traffic, losing momentum)?
Over the last two years, I’ve often participated in NaBloPoMo, which runs all year now. In those months, I post daily. During the months I don’t participate in NaBloPoMo, I don’t have a schedule and I don’t worry about it.
5. Are you generating income from your blog? If so, how (e.g. sponsor ads, affiliate relationships, spokesperson opportunities)? If not currently, do you hope to in the future — and how?
No, and I’m not actively seeking to monetize. It’s not why I blog. If an opportunity that makes sense were to present itself, I hope I will be smart enough to recognize it.
6. What do you like most about blogging in general and your blog in particular (bragging is good!)?
I like having a place of my own to say what I want. I like that sometimes one small blogger can make a huge difference just by getting something started for a big cause, an educational effort, or just to help one dog live a better life.
7. What do you like least?
At its worst, the blogosphere (hate that word) is just as cliquish as high school was, and ten times as nasty. No thanks to the internet, it can take less than a day to falsely ruin someone’s name. Maybe I would feel differently about both high school and the blogosphere if I were one of the “cool kids.” Nah, I don’t think so.
8. How do you see your blog changing/growing in 2011?
I’m still deciding whether I will keep blogging at all. As I mentioned in my answer to question 3, I’m still struggling with redefining my purpose.
So there you go. Thank you to Amy Burkert and Edie Jarolim for making the Pet Blogger Challenge happen! There’s a linky list, too. Go and check out what everyone else has to say, and let’s hear from you, too!
Interesting answers… I’m impressed that you do NaPoBloMo. I’ve considered doing it, but I was kind of intimidated.
Pup Fan recently posted..Take a look at me now
Thanks for stopping by! I’m guessing that I’m doing about 50:50 with NaBloPoMo. Once I got over myself and realized that no one would point and laugh if I didn’t make it through the month, it became more fun 🙂
Thanks for participating in the challenge! I enjoyed getting to know more about you. And I agree, figuring out what to blog about can be a real challenge. I know what my blog is supposed to focus on, and I am still often at a loss for a topic.
I love your blog’s main focus. I’m kind of stuck in the mindset that a trip with dogs has to revolve around a dog-specific event (show, trial, seminar, etc.) so it is a much-needed different look at travel.
Hear what you are saying. Redefining purpose is difficult. But sometimes the stories are just in front of you. I sometimes find myself having a story when I tweet about something that happened and I get a lot of response. Suddenly I realize, he that is a story. This also helped me redefine (or streamline) the purpose of my blog.
Whatever you decide, I wish you all the best.
kenzohw recently posted..Bad- bad blog!
Thanks for stopping by! Your comments here and your post today for the Pet Bloggers Challenge were very inspiring to me in terms of letting stories and events that just happen help define a new or revised direction.
Purpose is highly overrated anyway – most of us just fly by the seat of our pants no matter what our answers tell you. 🙂
There is something liberating about winging it. LOL!
Life With Dogs recently posted..Hero Great Dane Rescues 14 Year Old from Sex Attack- Corners Suspect
Thanks for stopping by! Hmmm if the proprietor of one of my fave blogs says I don’t need a purpose, maybe I should run with it 🙂
I think your answers were right on and honest.
I struggle with content too, which is one of the reasons that I am glad we are getting back into the show ring, it sure does help and keeps me motivated to write.
Jen recently posted..Pet Bloggers Challenge
Thanks for stopping by – and was glad to see your post that Leroy’s return to the ring was a good one!
Just ‘cuz you left high school behind, doesn’t mean that everyone else has. I find the clique thing worse on forums that on the blogs, but it is there. I feel than a lot of other bloggers don’t “like” my blog ‘cuz I swear , don’t have a huggy cuddly feelings toward some animal issues and frequently call BS when I see it. *whatever* I wasn’t a cool kid either 😛
Karen Friesecke recently posted..Dog A Day Project – Jesus Shoes
OMG… forums. I don’t mod or admin any at the moment, but you are so right about how they can be! I’m loving your Dog A Day project, BTW. You’ve found some really unique artwork and photos.
Do what feels right in the moment. Like Neil from Life with Dogs said, “Wing it.” It’s interesting that folks across this survey feel they have to adhere to rules, yet they’re not using their blog to further a business. Personally, I think we all need a space where the rules don’t matter and, with no business attached, that’s what this type of blogging offers. Write when you’re motivated and about what motivates you. If you build up enough posts on a particular topic and want to stick within that niche, do it when you can see it falling into place naturally. Otherwise, just have fun and indulge you curiosities. From there, something great will surely follow.
Reading through the Challenge posts, you have a good point about the “rules.” I think everyone has read the same how-to-blog stuff and gets it stuck in their heads whether it applies to them or not. I did start out writing about anything and everything but somehow got it in my head that I had to limit my topics.
I agree with Life with Dogs- most of us have no idea what we’re doing 🙂
Very impressed with your NaPoBloMo commitment! I post quite a bit, but not sure I could do every day!
Shauna (Fido & Wino) recently posted..Pet Blogger Challenge- crazy adventures
Hehe… the “winging it” theme seems to be a common factor among quite a few of the Challenge bloggers’ posts!
One of the reasons I blog is to give my family and friends a time-out from hearing my critter ramblings. Keep blogging whatever your heart feels like writing and you’ll be fine. Nice to meet you.
Maybe I should be listening to my heart and not my head when it comes to this blog… when I started it, I didn’t worry so much about straying off-topic. Thanks for stopping by!
I’m so glad you joined the challenge. I think you’re only the second person who’s mentioned NaBloPoMo. I hadn’t heard of it before. Thank you for mentioning it. I’m not sure I could do it, but I greatly admire your posting every day a month at a time.
Deborah Flick recently posted..Sadie Bonks Kong Wobbler Doubletime The Video
I don’t always make it through the whole month, but I’ve succeeded more often than not, and when I do, it is a good feeling! Plus it reminds me that even when I don’t quite succeed in posting every day, I can still get a decent amount of mostly-good content out there.
And here I thought Pamela from “Something Wagging” and I were the only pet bloggers crazy enough to do NaBlo. I loved it this year and it helped me kind of define what I wanted to write about. It’s too bad I missed you. At least I won’t be making the same mistake in the future!
It surprises me you find the blogosphere – I don’t like the word either – so cliqueish. Perhaps I just haven’t been around long enough to have experienced that.
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My November 2010 NaBloPoMo crashed and burned pretty early, but I’ll try again in 2011! In fact, I’ll probably try to get back into it for February.
And I hope you never have to experience the cliquishness! I may have just been unlucky enough to stumble into a few less-than-welcoming groups early on.
Hi Kathi!
Thanks again for your kind words over at my blog, The Other Winnie Cooper.
I enjoyed reading your answers to the challenge. I definitely feel like I am “off topic” all the time! And I still edit myself on the blog b/c I am sure someone will be judging me…but as my Mom had to tell me many times as I was growing up, “stick and stone can break your bones, but words can never hurt you.” Which of course it utterly false b/c words hurt the most, but I like to use that phrase remember, opinions are just opinions, they only bother me if I let them.
Alison recently posted..Thanks for Your Support
When we put our thoughts out there, there’s always the chance that someone will judge us harshly, but it’s so much worse to not let our voices be heard. My mom used to tell me the “sticks and stones” thing all the time, too. Our moms were both wrong on that point!
Here I am finally, only 5 days late. You can see I’m new at this! You’ve been on blogger since 2000? Wow! That’s longevity!
I can tell you’ve had some of the same “high school” meetings that I had. But the dog park is HUGE and there are more nice than not, I think. I might be going out on a limb to say this, but it sounds to me like your blog doesn’t fit into a niche (neither does my silly one :p) I mean, I said hello on agility dogblogs and was spurned, I wonder why!
But who cares if your blog doesn’t have a purpose or fit into a neat box? It’s where you’re comfy and saying things you need to say. Your reply to Vicky is what it’s all about.
I wish you luck in finding the fun and heart in your blog again 🙂
Okay getting off the soapbox now.
georgia little pea recently posted..A letter of contrition to Mr Ben in Bermtopia
Thanks for stopping by! I am *still* working through visiting the entire list of Challengers. I hope to finish over the weekend. It’s been very worthwhile so far.
You are so right, I absolutely do not fit into a niche and it could be why the internet dog park looks at me funny. Maybe I need to create a new niche!