Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Top 10 Blog Posts of 2013

Today marks the fourth anniversary of Bunny’s Blog. The blog began on December 31, 2009. It originally began as an extension of Follow Friday with BJC highlighting various friends and anipals that she followed on Twitter.

About six months after starting the blog, I realized her health was failing, and I needed to address the issue of whether I would continue the blog after she was gone. I decided to continue the blog, but write in my own voice, so I began transitioning in September 2010.

At first, I wrote the posts and BJC continued to respond to the comments. But eventually I transitioned fully so that by the time she passed away in June 2011 I was writing the posts and responding to comments in my own voice.

Over time, Bunny’s Blog has evolved into focusing on animals and animal-related causes. I suppose that has something to do with my own personal experience of working for various nonprofit organizations for 17 years, as well as my life-long love of animals.

By the time I hit my third blogoversary, I was no longer struggling with many of the issues that I had dealt with in the past, and as a result, I wrote many more posts than I had in the previous two years. I found my voice and my niche, which helped me identify the types of posts I wanted to share.

But 2013 was a tough year and that was reflected in many of my posts. My husband passed away in January, and I spent much of the year handling the legal/financial issues of settling his estate. I also went back to work in July and the amount of time I had to devote to blogging was greatly reduced. Finally after months of feeling overwhelmed, I decided to take a two week break in December.

I would like to say I’ve spent the last two weeks resting and relaxing, but that’s not necessarily true. I’ve worked almost the entire time and the break from blogging has been somewhat of a relief. I’ve come to realize that something’s got to give in my life. I’ve decided to remove some of the self-imposed restrictions I’ve placed on my life including blogging on a nearly full-time basis.

I love Bunny’s Blog. It started out as an expression of my love for animals and my desire to share information I thought was important. When I first started blogging, I didn’t really care about stats or monetization or brands. But somewhere along the way, I became so focused on playing the blogger game that I lost the joy of blogging for its own sake.

And that’s what’s going to change in the coming year. Although it may not be obvious, there has been a change in my mindset. I will cut back on my blogging schedule and try to find something that fits with my new lifestyle. I will stop worrying about brands. I never really wanted to do product reviews or giveaways, and as a result whenever opportunities would appear, I always found a reason to turn them down. I will stop worrying about how much I make from my blog. That’s why I originally used a free platform to begin with. 

So with that in mind, I look forward to my fifth year with Bunny’s Blog. And without further ado, here are the Top 10 Posts of 2013:

1. When a friend loses a pet – 7 meaningful do’s and don’t from Petfinder Foundation 
2. Veterinarian recommends 10 things you should do for your senior dog 
3. Top 10 industry trends of 2013 
4. Third Annual Pet Blogger Challenge 
5. Five questions you need to ask yourself before getting a dog 
6. Things you say to dogs that would be creepy if you said to people 
7. NBC Today Show cancels pet adoption segments in Adopt a Shelter Dog Month 
8. My life has changed (again) 
9. It’s my birthday and I’ll blog if I want to 
10. National Pet Fire Safety Day

14 comments:

  1. I'm glad you will continue with Bunny's Blog and I completely understand needing to reduce the time you spend on it. I'm also glad you will focus on just the things that matter to you in your posts. I hope 2014 is better for you and I hope to see you next year!

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  2. I am sorry you've had such a hard year. Be kind to yourself, put your needs first, and the blog will on, in whatever format you choose.

    I hope 2014 brings some healing to your heart. You deserve only the best.

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  3. When the winds of change blow through your life like a hurricane, change - no matter how we struggle against it - is a given. Having had a tough year like you, I totally understand the need to re-prioritize and re-focus. Though I rarely (understatement) comment here, I do share your posts frequently. I'm glad you won't end the blog! I hope you have a peaceful and joyful 2014 and find the time to nurture yourself. Happy New Year!

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  4. I'm sorry you had such a bad year, but I'm glad you have taken the time you need for yourself and are coming back knowing what it is that you want.

    I've been struggling with some of the same issues concerning my blogging and there will be changes for me in the new year too.

    I hope 2014 is better to you than 2013 was. Happy New Year!!

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  5. I am sorry you had such a tough year and I hope 2014 is much much better for you.
    I am rethinking my whole blog too. I put way too much pressure on myself, and I have to stop doing that.

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  6. Vicki, I'm so sorry. I had no idea how horrible a year 2013 was for you. But I'm so glad you've chosen to continue the blog. I had a similar awakening about the blog last year and have found myself so much happier writing what I want to write when I want to write it and not worrying about the "shoulds" and "musts". I hope you find the same kind of relief and rediscover the enjoyment you once had.

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  7. Happy Blogoversary Vicki! From all our hearts right to your door, we wish you the best for two oh one four!

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  8. Oh Vicki - I'm so sorry it was such a horrible year for you. I hope 2014 will be much better. I am happy you are keeping the blog up too. I've been dragging my feet on going the money route with Mario's blog too. I just want it to be fun and not worry about a schedule of any type. My own blog will never grow anyway and I'm thinking about dropping that one. It worked when I used it as a teaching tool about Parkinson's, but husband is doing fine with his and I'm doing fine with the Essential Tremor diagnosis - so far anyway. Wishing the best for you in 2014.

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  9. Wishing you a really Happy and stress free 2014,enjoy life and have fun,and may you rediscover the joy and fun of blogging with out the the stress and hard work,xx Rachel and Speedy

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  10. I love reading that you have some peace about what you'll be doing with Bunny's blog in the future.

    I hope that 2014 brings you many happy blessings.

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  11. Good for you Vicki... 2013 was not my favorite year either and I admire your decision. Thankfully I have never been one to focus on stats or monetizing my blog or I think I would have gone over the deep end. I am hoping 2014 will be a year of personal rejuvenation and internal growth - I want to focus more on writing books and less on scrambling to get through the day. My heart is with you and I wish you much peace and inner contentment.

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  12. Glad you found a new balance in which you can still enjoy blogging. Hoping 2012 will be a great year for you, blogwise and private.

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  13. I just had my third blogiversary. I, too, feel that things became clearer for me last year and I have hit my stride. I used to worry about the numbers a lot but don't as much anymore. I have learned that things go up, things go down, and not to panic. I have tried every blogging schedule from one day a week to 7. I settled on 5 as my comfort zone but going back to graduate school has forced me to cut down even further. While I as adjusting to school, I went a couple weeks here and there with no posts at all. Now I have settled into a doable 3 posts a week. Ironically, I have found that my reader numbers are actually up. Happy blogiversary to you and Happy New Year!

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  14. This is one of the first pet blogs I discovered before I started blogging and I have always enjoyed reading it. I am very sorry 2013 was a rough one and best wishes for you and your family for 2014 Vicki. I really admire your thought process and honesty...it helps and inspires folks like me that have only been blogging for a year to remember that life has a way of telling us where we need to be...if we listen. Happy New Year and thank you!

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