Thursday, January 10, 2013

Third Annual Pet Blogger Challenge

This is the third year that I am participating in the Pet Blogger Challenge. In the past, I found it helpful for reviewing where I've been and where I want to go in the coming year.

Like last year, there are two sets of questions – one for first timers and one for repeat offenders. Here are the questions for those of us who participated last year:

1. How long have you been blogging and provide a link to your post from last year’s Pet Blogger Challenge so we can refresh our memories. I began blogging in December 2009, and just celebrated my third blogoversary!

http://bunnyjeancook.blogspot.com/2012/01/2012-pet-blogger-challenge.html 

2. What do you consider the most important goals you set out in last year’s post? My biggest concern last year was monetizing my blog.

In 2012, I pursued a number of different avenues including Google Adsense, BlogPaws Ad Network, and Dogtime Media, as well as various affiliate programs. Google Adsense and Dogtime Media are not a good fit for me right now simply because I don’t get enough hits per month. So far, BlogPaws Ad Network seems to work well for me. I haven’t had any success with affiliate programs and eventually dropped them.

3. Have you made progress toward those goals, or have your goals changed over the past year? In addition to monetizing my blog, my other major goal was to blog more about animal-related causes. I feel like I've made progress in this area with many of my posts addressing various animal-related causes and how people can help.

4. How often do you post? In 2011, I posted 3-4 days a week with a total of 186 posts. That was down from the previous year, when I posted 208 times. In 2012, I posted nearly every day with a total of 320 posts.

 5. Has your opinion of blogging on a schedule or as the spirit moves you changed? I still try to post on a regular schedule. I have a great fear that if I stop posting on a schedule, I will stop posting altogether. However, I do occasionally take a day off if I’m sick, if I’m travelling, or if there’s nothing I really want to write about.

If you publish on a schedule, why? See above. How strict are you about your publishing deadlines? If I publish by midnight, I feel like I've accomplished my goal for the day. Generally I write first thing in the morning, but occasionally I will write the day before and schedule it to publish the next day. What do you do for inspiration when it feels like you've covered every topic? Sometimes I’ll look for a fun video. Other times, I’ll just take a day off.

6. How much time do you spend writing your blog per week? Writing is actually the easiest part. I would say I spend about a half hour to an hour daily writing, editing, finding photos, and getting the post ready to be published.

If there is something important I want to write about (like the Pet Blogger Challenge), I’ll put it on my calendar so I don’t forget it. If I don’t have anything scheduled, I go through my email. I have several Google alerts that I receive on a daily basis, and I read through them for ideas. I also go to PRNewswire, PRWeb and PRLog to see if there is anything I want to pick up. If I don’t find anything there, I may go to YouTube to see if there is a video I want to share.

How much time [do you spend] visiting other blogs?  I don't read every single blog I follow on a daily basis. I scan through the titles to see what catches my eye. I belong to Triberr and read a lot of blogs there.  I also follow a lot of blogs on Facebook and Google +. I’m not very good about leaving comments on other people’s blogs, but I do “like” them or give +1’s. I also leave comments on Facebook or Google+, and I try to share a certain number of posts per day.

Share your tips for staying on top of it all. I don’t really feel like I stay on top of it all, but I do have a “system”. I have several social media sites saved on my Chrome bookmarks bar (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, StumbleUpon and ScoopIt). I use these sites to disseminate my blog posts and also to read other posts. I generally make a couple of loops through these sites per day.

 7. How do you measure the success of a post and of your blog in general (comments, shares, traffic)? Like everyone else, I probably watch my blog stats too much. I watch to see how many page views a post gets and how many comments. I also watch to see how many times it gets shared on Twitter, StumbleUpon and ScoopIt. In addition, I track my number of fans/followers on Facebook, Twitter, Google + and Pinterest.

Do you look strictly at the numbers, or do you have a way of assessing the quality of those interactions? I think there are both objective and subjective measures of how well a post does. For example, a post may get a lot of page views but very few comments. Or it may get a lot of comments, but not a lot of shares. Or it may get picked up on StumbleUpon and get stumbled by several people. I try to look at the whole picture, but I do tend to get hung up on the number of page views.

8. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one issue you’re having with your blog, what would it be? I think I would ask for feedback about the types of posts I publish. I would ask my readers what they would like to see more/less of.

I don’t currently do product reviews or giveaways, and I very seldom write about my own pets. Mostly, I write about pet-related causes and events – probably because that’s what appeals to me, but also because I think it differentiates me from other pet blogs.

9. What goals do you have for your blog in 2013? Continue to write about animal-related causes, continue to post on a regular schedule, and grow my readership.

46 comments:

  1. Your blog is one of my main sources of animal welfare news, so if it is up to me ... more of that! But that would be unfair, I guess a lot of you visitors also come for other than that. My next choice would be the news stories you do, the "cat rescued by .." kind of stories.
    What a shame those affiliate programs didn't work, hope you'll find a way to monetize your blog - if at least that is still a goal this year.

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    1. Thanks Leo - I love doing those kinds of stories, but sometimes I worry that I'm boring my readers with them. Now I know at least one other person likes them! ;-)

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  2. I like that you write about animal welfare and considering this is my first time at your blog, I am going to bookmark it to learn more. I too am still trying to figure out the whole affiliate program thing...I think I will try again this year. Good luck and thanks for sharing in 2013
    Trina

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  3. I not only read your blogs (almost daily) I recommended you to my Humanity Road Animals in Disaster teammates as a trusted source of information.

    I like the variety of topics. I look to you for knowing about special dates such as National Rescued Bird Month. Although I will admit I have a huge soft spot for the rescue stories, I appreciate the information you share about causes.

    Keep up the good work, Vicki. I love Bunny's Blog. :)
    Sylvia

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  4. Wow! You wrote in one year what took me 3! I've not really been here before, or maybe at last year's Challenge, so I wouldn't be able to give any constructive feedback. Sorry! You certainly use a lot of social media. I wish I was as clued in on them but I'm afraid they'd take over my life LOL.

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    1. Actually they do sort of take over your life. Thanks for stopping!

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  5. I am a new follower on your blog, and not surprised to see you here. I love the blog!

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  6. I love the blogs you post. Personally, I wouldn't mind reading more about your own pets! Monetizing is tough work, and I'm not very good at it. I do pretty well with Social Spark although lately they haven't been offering very appropriate leads. I also joined Pet360 affiliate and they are real nice and easy to use.

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    1. For some reason the blog has always been externally focused. Even when the voice belonged to BJC, she wrote about her Twitter friends and anipals. Most of the posts I've written about my own pets have been on other people's blogs. Go figure!

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  7. Vickie we started blogging almost the exact same time! Love it! Happy Blogoversary (last December)
    I am with you on this: "So far, BlogPaws Ad Network seems to work well for me. I haven’t had any success with affiliate programs and eventually dropped them."

    I love that you post about causes and think your blog is beautifully written....that being said, I WOULD love to hear more about YOUR pets!! It wasn't until last year some time that I even knew that you had cats!!

    Anyway, your blog is great and I enjoy it! I don't always comment but I AM "around" I'm everywhere :)

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    1. Thanks Caren! I guess the cats are going to have to start making guest appearances - that could possibly be in the form of product reviews. I'll have to give it some thought. I'm like you in that I read other blogs but don't comment frequently enough.

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  8. Hi Vicki! Awww your bunny is gorgeous! Being a first timer to your blog, I'm very intrigued and definitely going to add to my reader and learn more about your passion! Keep up the good work!

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    1. Hi Brenda - thanks for stopping by. The rabbit in my header is not my bunny. BJC crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 2011, and I did an "extreme blog makeover" last year so now the blog conveys "bunniness" without being specifically about my bunny. The rabbit in my Facebook/Twitter profile pic is actually BJC.

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  9. I can't believe you've only been blogging three years. In my mind, you've been doing it forever!

    As for blogging about animal related causes, I think you've definitely met and exceeded that goal. I always turn to your blog for information about current animal issues - you've really created a fantastic resource here.

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    1. Thanks A.J.! I'm glad to hear that people appreciate the posts about animal-related causes. I would love to convey the more whimsical side of my personality - and that's what BJC did when she wrote the blog, but it sort of went to the side when she crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Maybe I'll add one of the cats as a "guest blogger" to lighten it up a bit!

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  10. Vicki, it's wonderful to read all this! I wish I had more time to give feedback and share. Good luck on this year's resolutions.

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    1. Thanks Bernadette! You're one of those people I know reads my blog on a regular basis, so I feel like a get a good amount of feedback from you throughout the year. Thanks for your support!

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  11. Good for you girl. I've never participated in one of those because I don't feel my blog is good enough for things like that. I pretty much do the "fluff" thing with pictures and funny things that Mario does.

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    1. Any blog is good enough to participate - and lots of participants do similar types of posts! I just use it as an exercise to think about what I've accomplished in the past year and what I like to do in the New Year!

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  12. Your blog is really cool, Bunny! And I hope you have more success in 2013!

    Christie from lifewithbeagle.com

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    1. Thank you Christine - it was great meeting you at BarkWorld!

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  13. I like reading about the animal related causes especially when it pertains to assistance dogs!

    I've had pretty good luck with Google AdSense, Amazon Associates and BlogPaws Ad Network. I haven't tried DogTime Media yet. Another pet blogger told me that DogTime Media was outperforming AdSense on her blog. Did you see similar results when you tried DogTime and AdSense?

    Good luck with your goals in 2013!

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    1. I haven't added DogTime yet because they said I probably wouldn't see real results until my monthly stats increase. I'm holding off until I can grow the blog some more. I have an account with Amazon Associates, but I haven't seen anything from it so I pulled the ad - but I can always put it back up later. Google Adsense is slowly building up, but the best results to date have definitely been with BlogPaws Ad Network.

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    2. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I've by far had the best results with Google AdSense, but it can be intrusive and the ad units require a lot of testing to find the best placement.

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  14. Congratulations on your blogiversary, Vicki!

    You are my go-to blog for animal cause related information. I count on you to keep me informed! You're absolutely amazing - you blog nearly every day and flutter around all the social media networks. I have no idea how you do it all. Thanks so much for participating in the Challenge and here's to a very successful 2013!

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    1. I think we all have things we do well and not so well. I'm a social media butterfly flitting from platform to platform. But I feel my writing style is kind of sterile. I love to read your blog because I think your writing style reflects your personality. And because I've met you in person, I can "hear" your voice when I read a post. Hope to see you again in 2013!

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  15. Happy blogiversary to my #1 news source for animal issues.

    Too bad that AdSense doesn't work for you, I've been fairly happy with the results so far. I've tried out so many different affiliate programs over the past three years that I've stopped trying. The only affiliate program I kept with is Amazon and I've actually gotten a few cheques from them.

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    1. Karen - that means a lot coming from you. You're one of the people I consider really up-to-speed on what's happening regarding animal issues!

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  16. Like others, I have to stay that our blog keep me up to date animal related info. I like that and it is what sets you apart from other pet blogs.

    Best of luck in 2013 and Happy belated Blogaversary!

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    1. Thanks Jen - I'm glad to hear that people appreciate the animal-related information. Sometimes I wonder if I'm boring my readers, so it's good to hear that people like the posts.

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  17. Oh, I was sure I commented on here, so I'm sorry if I have something sitting on a moderate queue somewhere and now you've got two comments from me... I was just going to say that monetizing blogs is something of interest to me, and I'd love to hear your experiences (good and bad) with the process. If you've made blog posts about it, please point me at 'em! If you haven't maybe this is something you might like to do. You have at least one reader here!

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    1. I'm still in the learning process as far as monetization is concerned. However, there are other blogs out there who do a much better job of it.

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  18. Happy Blogiversary! And congratulations on your amazing productivity. If you wrote 320 posts last year, you didn't spend nearly enough time on vacation. :)

    I like the well-researched and thoughtful approach you bring to animal welfare issues. But from reading your comments and post, it sounds like you really would like to express your fun-loving side somewhere in the blog.

    Do you follow the blog, Rumpy Dog? It is another one of my favorite animal welfare sites. But most posts are written in the voice of a dog or cat. The June Buggie Rants posts are really interesting--smart and on topics no one else seems to hit. And they're done in a cat's voice. Maybe a visit will inspire you to unleash your fun side some more.

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    1. Thanks Pamela! I enjoy reading other blogs (like yours) that are well-written, but also fun. I have a hard time expressing that side of my personality when I write as myself, so I may need to explore the possibility of adding one of my cats as a guest blogger.

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  19. It's so funny, but Leo said exactly what I was thinking. I come to your blog for the latest animal welfare news and because you also know what events are coming up in the blogging or animal community that is important to know about. I always know that you will know what is going on (now I know how you keep all these important dates straight! A calendar! Duh!).

    I enjoy your posts from conferences too. I think you do a great job summarizing the things I am most interested in.

    As far as the stats and sights you use to disseminate your posts and track results? Holy cow! I am so impressed! I wish I were half as focused as you Vicki!
    Congrats on the BtC4A baton being passed your way!

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    1. Thanks Mel! It's funny how we admire each other's strengths and don't appreciate our own. I admire how passionate you are about animal welfare issues and how you are willing to take a stand on your blog. The things I do are just what comes natural to me, so I tend to undervalue it. However, it's nice to hear that other people do appreciate it!

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  20. Happy Blogiversary! And O.M.G. - that's a LOT of posts!

    To be honest, I thought you had been blogging longer. Your blog is so professional. And, while I don't comment here often, I subscribe to your Facebook page and consider you one of my prime resources for animal welfare information.

    I really appreciated your answer to where you find inspiration. Makes sense and is a good idea.

    (Oh and congratulations on your 'appointment' over at Be the Change for Animals. Kim is leaving her vision in remarkable hands.)

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    1. It's funny that people think of my blog as professional because I think of it as just a hobby blog. I would love to be a professional blogger when I grow up, although after reading Paris' post, I don't think I have the stamina! It's hard enough to write once a day, much less do multiple posts!

      I'm very excited about Be the Change for Animals, but Kim will still be around in an advisory capacity. I hope you will participate in Blog the Change Day on January 15th!

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  21. Thanks for sharing! I picked up some ideas from your answers and I am excited to try them out! You have an awesome blog! Keep up the good work!

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    1. I'm glad you were able to get some ideas from my post. Good luck with your goals in 2012 and Happy Blogging!

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  22. Hi Vicki,

    Thanks for all the sharing you do for animal welfare causes. I see you everywhere online and am always impressed by (what I know must be) your tireless work keeping up with it all. It is a little bit easier when what you're doing is your passion, isn't it. Keep up the great work and have a happy, healthy, and wonderful 2013!

    All the best,
    Jason

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  23. I have had the same experience with the ad networks and affiliate programs. Google ads don't do much for me (though I still have them on the blog), and the Amazon program involved too much work on my part (as far as I'm concerned)--plus it made me feel like I was asking readers for money due to the disclosure text that has to go along w/the links. The BlogPaws network is great. I've done well there, so I think that means I made the right choice when BlogHer and BlogPaws split.

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  24. As always Vicki, I'm a bit in awe of you. I have no idea how you manage all of your social media. I find it amazing that you achieve all you do. I like your calendar reminder idea. I'll definitely be trying that.

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