The Repeat Offenders Q&A.

I just read my very 1st post, published almost exactly 3 years ago on Wednesday, 13th January 2010. It was rather hopefully and shyly titled, Hello, will you be my friend? 

Circa 2010

"Well, will you?"

Over the next year and a half, I got a whopping 9 comments on the post. 7 were from friends. 4 of these were from the same 2 people. I can't remember if I forced them to write these comments but it's highly likely. 

Looking at this pathetic beginning, I'll say 1 thing for myself. I don't give up easily. 

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Thank you for reading my PetBlogger Challenge post! 

This year, I believe Ms Burkert is hosting the Challenge all by herself [and despite a painful bulging disc], so thank you Amy! :)

1. Here is my post from last year.

2. What do you consider the most important goals you set out in last year’s post?
This is and always has been a goal-free blog.

3. Have you made progress toward those goals, or have your goals changed over the past year?
Hmmm. If these questions pop up again next year, I think I might just skip directly to 4!

4. How often do you post?
Usually about 2 or 3 times a week. Lately, about 2 to 3 times a day. My apologies for that! I was on holiday and wanted to experiment with posting in real time. A lot of fun, by the way. And pretty painless. Can I just take this opportunity to thank everyone who actually kept up with my frantic postcards from the road? 

5. Has your opinion of blogging on a schedule, or as the spirit moves you, changed?

No.

What do you do for inspiration when it feels like you've covered every topic?

If you've been following our stories, you'll know I'm no longer really a dogblogger. Georgia grew up, she stopped doing silly things and I found it harder and harder to write about her, and in her voice.

"What are you implying here? That I'm boring?"

So I started writing about other stuff instead. Whatever popped into my head. Being menopausal, our travels, capoeira, Australiana, childhood memories. To answer your question, inspiration comes from everywhere for me now, and I like it! I've stopped being bored with my own posts. And in many ways, I think this is a truer reflection of Georgia's life with us.

If you don’t publish on a schedule, why?  
I just don't think I'll have fun that way.

How do you think your decision affects your audience? 
I have no idea. 

How do you know when a topic is “post-worthy?”
If you mean, to the readers? I don't know. Some posts are important or interesting to me, or to my family and friends. I write these for them, regardless of whether I think they'll be popular topics. As a reader, you might find these odd, and enjoy them. Or not. Statistically however, many of the popular posts on this blog were written about unlikely subjects.

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

Too much.

How much time visiting other blogs? 

Too much. My preference is to have a conversation with the bloggers I follow. This takes some effort. I usually do my reading first thing when I wake up, last thing before I go to sleep, at any random time as I pass by the iPad or computer, during commercial breaks on telly, when I'm on the bus and, yes! on the potty.

Share your tips for staying on top of it all.

You're asking the wrong person.

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

This is a small blog with no affiliation to pinterest, twitter, facebook, and whatever google circles are. So I guess I'm not looking at shares and traffic as a measure of success.

I'd say, comments. I believe I've learnt quite a lot about some of the bloggers I follow, from their comments. Not just about their dogs or training techniques, but about them. This is probably the most enjoyable part of blogging for me now. Making connections. I'd like to be successful in that.

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 can't really think of anything at the moment, but thank you for asking.

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

Huh?

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"You want me to do funny? I can do funny. How about this?"