Thursday, January 10, 2013

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! 
PBC

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?"





52 comments:

Rose ~ from Oz said...

Haahaahaaa Little Pea you do funny really well!! You've got that 'ring of confidence' going girl - pretty sure that's from a colgate ad and IS THAT CUSHION being all kissy-wissy again?! Sure it is..... you wouldn't grin at Typist like that ;)

georgia little pea said...

OATH! And so it is Cushion, MS ROSE. Did you enjoy my one and only bloghop of the year? ;)x

Dexter said...

The main reason I blog is to read my own stories. True. But it is grand to get pals and followers. So glad to have found you.

Mango Momma

Friko said...

Not a lot is new in the bloggy world. Most of us just blog away happily as the spirit moves us. As for goals? With a blog?

I am so glad Georgia got over her nasty incident without great harm. As you demonstrated that could have got not only very expensive but also very sad.

Silly girl, Georgia, don’t just swallow everything careless humans drop and leave behind.

I just went all the way back to Georgia’s very first post. You’ve come a long way, you lucky girl. And the noises Cushion makes are not so very strange at all; Millie is already experiencing many of them, and that’s after just two months in her new home.

Millie sends her love; she has a visit to the vet ahead of her too because she is developing some strange lumps that need checking out.

Team Kenzo said...

You are so funny, I think this blog will stand out on the linky list again :)
Making connections is what you do so well, and w/o Facebook, etc., so maybe - just maybe - you should actually be an example to all of us that blog :)
That you blog about everything that moves you, not necessarily Miss GLP, is also what makes your tales so interesting to follow, I always feel like a little fly on the wall. I haven't missed a post of you this year. Keep on writing, wherever you go!

Unknown said...

How fresh! I love that... I believe you own your blog and the blog does not own you. That's they way it should be. Glad I found your site!

georgia little pea said...

MANGO MOMMA - that's probaby the first reason why I blog too.

You didn't, FRIKO! Thank you. I didn't want to link it since this post was already so long. She's a completely different dog now, which makes us both proud and sad. I hope Millie's check up goes well.

Thank you KENZO! I missed you last year and it's great to know you followed our adventures, albeit quietly ;)

Thank you MAGGIE COOPER. I hope that will always be the way otherwise I might have to give the blog a good pummelling :)

Unknown said...

I loved this post - it literally made me laugh out loud! I think this blog is a example of what blogs (web logs) were to begin with - personal online journals. So the fact that it's no longer just a dog blog is a reflection of where you are in life. Not everyone wants to be a pro-blogger, some people just want to come online and meet friends (Hello, will you be my friend?).

verobirdie said...

Miss Georgia, you have a great smile.

What Remains Now said...

I love this challenge. I'm enjoying reading everyone's responses, and you know I love your blog.

Cowspotdog said...

I have never though about what to blog......tend to be a just "go with the flow" type and share what is happening in my small part of the world. Great post and we loved you funny face

GizmoGeodog said...

Hello, and to answer your original question, yes, Gizmo would love to be your friend...and me too...I love your style & point of view and will be back for more...thanks for finding us and leading us here today

georgia little pea said...

Hi VICKI! That's what this is. An online journal of our dog and us. Like a diary in the olden days, except now, we want everyone to find it ;)

Why thank you MS VERO.

You too MS LORI.

We're on the same page then COWSPOTDOGS. Could it be a Strylian thing?

Geocache dog! Thanks GIZMO :)

Sherri / 2Rescues said...

I enjoy reading your blog - the combination of some dog stuff and whatever else you want to write about is entertaining. My naughty dog grew up, too, and leaves me stumped for material now. I'm kinda of relieved, because if he kept it up, I was going to need new floors, furniture, and plants in the yard! Looking forward to another year of following you. Hugs to Georgia. I'm going to go check out the blogger challenge thing....I didn't know what everybody's been talking about.

Anonymous said...

I love that last grinning photo. I love that you blog about everything that's interesting to you, cause it's interesting to us. Good job for being Mrs. Goal free.

Elizabeth said...

Oh my heavens!
Are we meant to have 'goals' for our blogs?
dearie me!
I thought they were just for fun and to share stuff with our blog chums who become like real chums often....This all sounds very serious and American.....
I loved your answers to the overly-serious.....
Buster joins me in wishing you a super 2013

Peggy Frezon said...

Even though keeping up with visiting blogs in my reader is overwhelming, your blog is one I always read without fail, because I want to. You are real and open and interesting and I like starting my day with you. And I know I'm not the only one. So if you've accomplished that, you've accomplished a blogger's dream! Keep on doing exactly what you're doing now.

Kristina Smith said...

Well, it is really good to read the post. If you love your dog make sure you have a dog health insurance plan for your dog.

Jan said...

I knew we had a lot in common. I love a goal-free blog and one that is occasionally written on the potty.

My dogs are also settled and no longer suitable subjects. Or to put it bluntly...boring. For which I am grateful. Eating fish hooks might make an interesting post, but I would prefer not to experience it.

Keep posting your wonderful weather and travels. I love you.

Tootsie said...

Your Q&A really made me wag. (And it made Mom laugh out loud, which made me wag more!)

By the way, my mom swears to God that the Koala in the other day's post is a little piggy. Please tell her that koalas and baby piggies sound the same. Do they? She won't stop talking about it.

My mom says she definitely thinks you both met at last year's blogger challenge. Very proud of you for continuing to be goal free. What a great find. Your words inspire, cheer, hearten, and comfort. That's a blogger's success for sure, though successful really just means connections... and that is what you make. :)

You and Mom are friends.
Ms. Georgia and I are friends.
Does that mean that Cushion and Dachshund Daddy are friends?

Dachshund Daddy feels for the Typist, because I always put the breaks on and won't let him walk me without Mom. Ha!

Wow. I'm wagging on here. You see. I love your blog.

Love,
Tootsie (and her mom)

georgia little pea said...

SHERRI, the stuff that Thumper and Lightining get up to.... these are the shenanigans of settled down grown up dogs? !!! !!

That's me ROXY. Cushion would say I am "without ambition" ;)

We dogbloggers are a serious lot ELIZABETH and BUSTER. Hahahahaha!

PEGGY *sniff* now you've made me weepy. Thank you.

KS, I bet you read my post LOL.

Awww. Thank you JAN :) Too true. Death, tragedy and illness make popular posts but I'd definitely prefer not to go there. And yes, your comment came through!

Surely you do NOT do that to DD, TOOTS! what a meanie weenie you are! It's highly unlikely your mama met me last year. Unless she said hi to someone wearing a brown paper bag on her head? Thank you for being so nice to us! You are proof that littledogs are OKAY! :D How about the koala eh. I think it sounds a bit like a big cat, especially when it first starts making that sound....purrrr.

Anonymous said...

haha My first visit to your blog and glad I did. Very funny! I like one of your responses to a comment "An online journal of our dog and us." I have to agree. Mine is the story about me and my rescue. Simply put! Some will like it, others not. I won't be big and I'm content with that. Interaction with like-minded people? Now that's where it's at! Great to meet you and your cutie!

Kristine said...

Hahahaha! Love the final photo, a perfect way to end it.

I also love that you have stuck to your guns and kept LDOLL a goal-free zone. It's also one of the funniest blogs on my radar and I know every time I come by I am either going to laugh out loud or I am going to learn something quirky. Usually I do both.

I am so glad I got to know you, oh nameless one, and am so happy you've kept at it!

STELLA and RORY from Down Under said...

Howdy Georgia and Mum, loved this post. I was just wondering how much time people spend on their blog and reading others. Sometimes I feel like I can't keep up but can't stop reading because it's all so much fun and I have made so many friends. I too don't do facebook etc, just have our blog. I must admit it is addictive but I don't think I'm ready to quit yet haha. No worries, and love, Carol (and Stella and Rory)

Pup Fan said...

I really enjoyed your postcards from the road. I've been a slacker on commenting lately, but please know that I've been reading! :)

I really enjoy the variety in your blog - you have a great sense of humor and a unique voice that keeps me coming back for more.

georgia little pea said...

BRENDA, me you sistas from a different mother. Nanoo nanoo.

Hey KRISTINE, I like my new moniker! You forgot makes you bawl and creeps you out LOL. Your old friend, The Nameless One x

STELLA and RORY, I have come to the conclusion that us Aussies are just more laidback (slack) about the whole blog thing. Oi Oi Oi.

Thank you PUP FAN! I knew some of those really good stats I got from those posts had to be you :D

Elizabeth Bergesen said...

I like how you have defined your preference, which is to have a conversation with the bloggers you enjoy and follow.

sonia a. mascaro said...

Congratulations, Georgia, for your Third Blog Anniversary! I will see your first post "Hello, will you be my friend?" soon.

I love this post, Georgia! Just great to read the Q&A. Really you have a great sense of humor.
Love your smile, too!
I enlarged the photo and I saw you have beautiful and white tooth.
Many hugs and kisses, my dear.

Greyhounds Aren't Grey said...

I'm glad that I'm not the only person who catches up on her blog reading while on the potty. Usually with Blue and Bettina staring at hoping I'll finish up and go to the kitchen and get them a snack.

Karen said...

Of course I will be your friend, Miss GLP :D If Dexter & Jersey could read, they would be your friends, too. I love your stories, your (mis)adventures in AU and all the beautiful pictures of beaches you post. With is being Winter in Canada, I really love looking pictures of Summer places.

Colby, Raven, Elsa said...

That's great that you've expanded you blog to cover more topics. I sometimes feel confined to pet blogging when I want to write about something personal. Maybe I'll have to take a page out of your book and put together a few off topic posts.

Good luck with your goals in 2013!

Amy said...

I LOVE YOU!! We Americans do take things too seriously sometimes, don't we? Your post totally cracked me up - especially that last photo of Georgia. Thanks for helping the rest of us keep it light. You're a peach.

Anonymous said...

OMG! Georgia's picture at the end just sealed the whole deal. HI-LAR-IOUS!

I think I like the idea of a goal-free blog. I also enjoy the connections - although I have been awful at the connecting part in the past year, and I love reading about the wide variety of topics you write about now. You still make Georgia a part of the blog in so many ways and it's nice to learn about you.

One thing I know for certain? I absolutely love your sense of humor. I know you will always make me smile and laugh (not that you have to every time mind you). :)

georgia little pea said...

MLIBY, that's it! I like a good yarn, though I'll admit to being a bit taciturn in real life.

Querida SONIA, obrigada. Sim. Os meus dentes sao belos e branco porque como ossos. Kkkkk :)

GAG, goodness isn't that a great acronym! I think I would draw the line at Georgia staring at me on the potty. Don't you find that ... unnerving?

KAREN, I think of you as I sun my toes on the beach and kick sand and paddle my toes. Seriously.

C,D,S and L - go for it. It's fun!

AMY, I am so not a peach BWAH haha! Thank you again for putting the Challenge together. Hope all this going around commenting isn't doing terrible things to your disc x

MEL - I've been equally slack with visiting and commenting last year, in a (vain) endeavour to reclaim some hours, sleep and not get scolded so much by Cushion. There's always THIS year :) See you around!


Jean said...

It's all your fault. I just spent the entire evening joining the bloghop. I think I produced my most boring post ever. Yours, on the other hand, is interesting and funny - especially with Georgia's wonderful funny face at the end.

georgia little pea said...

Oh HO! JEAN, I shall have to check it out right now! This is where I met you 2 years ago, I believe. Well, for what it's worth, it's YOUR fault I just had to update the ducky small stone. Well, you and Bert :)

Kolchak Puggle said...

If it's your goal to make connections, I think you're doing a BANG UP job. I do love your blog and I think you've really come into your own since you changed your focus. Funny, even though you feature largely here now, I still think of it as Georgia's blog and you as her Typist.

Once a very long time ago, you went on holiday and left Georgia at a kennel with her pjs or a sweater. In the post you told her "Don't be mad and don't be sad, Little Pea". It's a phrase I actually use ALL THE TIME in my real life. That last bit had nothing to do with anything, but I've been meaning to tell you and I figured that while we were on the subject of connections, I'd tell you just how much I appreciate ours.

Unknown said...

So glad to have met you on this blog hop! Such a beautiful site! And such great content!
I think I may have forced my husband to make a comment... once... maybe...

sonia a. mascaro said...

Querida Georgia, você é um gênio!
Está escrevendo muito bem em português! Parabéns!
Beijos!

georgia little pea said...

KOL, you made me go back to read that post and I had a sniffle, poor Georgia. I used to say that a lot to Jordan too. Don't be sad, don't be scared. Don't be bad and don't get mad. Sigh. Thank you.

CORALEE, I congratulate you on getting your hubby to do that. I used to force Cushion to comment on certain posts LOL.

Nao muito, SONIA! Acho que, talvez e melhor un pouco desde eu comecei estudando Espanol. Mas agora, I'm always mixing up the words hahaha! I originally used "huesos" instead of "ossos" and had to check o dicionario :D

Leema said...

Hello from a fellow Aussie! It's lovely to meet you. The beginning of this post made me giggle enough that I've added you to my Google Reader to follow in the new year. I look forward to learning more about you and your dogs - I think I could get my big dog fix here! Happy blogging.

Anonymous said...

Hey Georgia, First off, thanks for commenting on my blog. As a fellow retiree, I appreciate that you are so relaxed about blogging. You truly sounds like your are enjoying it! You go, Girl! And I, too, like reading (and writing) the more 'personal' type posts about family and life. Thanks for sharing.

Pamela said...

Thank you for keeping a goal-proof zone. As I slowly make my way around the hop, I find myself reassuring lots of wonderful people that it isn't a crime that they didn't meet the goals they probably didn't need to set in the first place.

And I'm really a cranky old cuss so all the encouragement is getting tough. No wonder I'm two days late and far behind. :)

BTW, I suspect GLP will figure heavily into your blog again soon. After all, she'll give you lots of blog fodder as you contemplate moving to a new place with a dog in tow. Tell her to get ready.

I've been telling Honey to get her passport in order for our future plans but she doesn't seem to care.

BTW, I nominated you for the best Australian blog in the Bloggies award. Wouldn't it be a riot if a blogger who shan't be named and doesn't set goals becomes the most popular blog in the country. :)

georgia little pea said...

Hello LEEMA! Thank you. Once I get off my butt and get my coffee fix, I shall pop by :)

LOY, just between you and me, I only appear relaxed. ARRRRGH.


OMG, PAMELA has arrived. I am not worthy. I can't believe you're still making the rounds. I've more or less given up unless someone new pops by.

Re: The Move. I haven't dared to post about our research because the new info is daunting and frightening, especially with regards to The Dog.

BTW! YOU DIDN'T! Can you see me sprouting grey hairs already? I should thank you but really, all I want to do is crawl into a hole and wait till the storm blows over. I hope my brown bag stays in place.

I love you! X

Pamela said...

Sorry to hear your research about a move is so daunting. But isn't that just part of having an adventure? :) I know you'll figure things out.

BTW (again), don't worry about losing your bag. The blogs that win are enormous. But I thought there might be a chance you'd make a few fun new friends.

georgia little pea said...

Can you hear my sigh of relief from Ithaca? :D

It's true, that's all part of the adventure. After the hinterland, our minds and hearts are going tick tick tick.

Pamela said...

Ooh, that was a sigh of relief? Thank goodness. I thought my sweet girl was flatulent. :)

georgia little pea said...

BWAH haha!!! And on that sweet note... :) x

LetterstoAndrew said...

I loved your answers, they really brought a smile to my face.

I'm sorry I couldn't keep up with the post card thing, but I read blurbs here and there.

yes, this is the ever elusive Andrew. :-)

Anonymous said...

Stopping by from the Pet Blogger Challenge hop. I enjoyed reading your answers to the questions and am looking forward to visiting your blog!

chandra said...

I enjoyed your Pet Blogger Challenge, I really did, but there's an important question that GLP's adorable photo brings up that I really need the answer to:

Do you brush her whiskers?
If not, does her Cushion brush her whiskers?
If not, does a third party brush her whiskers?

-c at ddy.

georgia little pea said...

ANDREW, you're as big a mystery as The Typist ;)

DOGSNPAWZ, thank you!

CHANDRA - No. No. And no.