2016 Pet Blogger Challenge

Lad

We are joining the 6th annual Pet Blogger Challenge, hosted by Go Pet Friendly.  It's the perfect way to get to know other Bloggers and get useful feedback about your own blog.  For those of you who do not blog, this post may not be very interesting, so we included lots of pictures!  BOL

Here are the questions for the 2016 Pet Blogger Challenge:

1. How long have you been blogging? And, for anyone who is visiting for the first time, please give a quick description of the subject of your blog.

Our collie blog was started in May 2012, so we have been blogging about 3 ½ years.  Our blog has featured a few different themes, some of which have been discontinued, some we still write about. We post pictures of our collies, talk about exciting events in their lives.  We have also written about the rich history of collies in America, which is something I would like to return to in 2016.  We do product reviews, both ‘written” by our collies and by our cats.   In the past we tried posting interesting recipes for creating homemade dog treats, and those posts seemed to garner some interest, so we might try to post about some new recipes in 2016.  We also featured collies in rescue that needed homes, which is also something I want to return to in 2016.  And one new subject which I am enjoying writing about is reviewing dog themed books and movies.  As a dog lover, I am always looking for new books and movies featuring dogs in general, and collies in particular, so I am guessing others do as well.

Angelo and Jazzy

2. What is the one thing that you accomplished during 2015, either on your blog or because of it, that made you most proud?

 

 

This one is hard to answer, because 2015 was not the best year for us.  And we also were not very active bloggers in 2015.  (But that is not going to be the case for 2016!)

Chloe

3. Which of your blog posts was your favorite this year and why? (Please include a link.) 

 

Our favorite post would to be this one: http://collie222.blogspot.com/2015/08/sunnybank-revisted.html?m=0  It’s a favorite because the subject is something very dear to our hearts, Sunnybank and the collies who lived there.  Many people discovered their love of collies through the books written by Albert Payson Terhune in the early 1900’s.  His stories all featured his beloved collies and his home, Sunnybank.  The main portion of the estate called Sunnybank still exists today, but it is now a park.

Puppy Love - my daughter and our first collie, Lad

4. A common theme from last year’s challenge was that many of us wanted to increase the size of our audiences. Whether or not we intend to monetize our blogs, it seems we’d all like to reach more people. It feels good to know that we’re connecting with others, sharing a laugh or supporting a cause, and it’s motivating to see those numbers grow! What is one thing you’ve done in the past year that has brought more traffic to your blog?

 

 

Unfortunately, we haven’t figured out what we can do to inspire more readers and also to encourage more people to comment on our posts.  I think one thing we will focus on in 2016 is posting more consistently, which should help.  But I am at a loss on how to get people to comment.  I have some posts with over 100 views, but only 3 comments.  The numbers just don't match and I am not sure why.



Lad and my daughter

5. Which of your blog posts got the most traffic this year? Why do you think it was so popular? (Please include a link.)
 

Surprisingly, the post that received the most traffic was our post about another blogger.  I’m not sure what that tells me about our posts.  You can find it here:   http://collie222.blogspot.com/2015/01/pet-blogger-gift-exchange.html?m=1

Chloe are sweet old, golden girl

6. What is one blog that you read religiously – other than your own – and what makes you such a devoted reader? (Please include a link.)

 

 

Well, there is actually more than one.  But we really enjoy reading The Three Little Pugs blog.  We find them adorable, and the blog is charming.  www.stellroselong.blogspot.com  We also love visiting Kim 's blog, Life At Golden Pines.  She runs a rescue for senior dogs who have been abandoned.

Darling Darla

7. What resources do you rely on to enhance your technical, writing, photography, social media, or other skills that improve your blog?
 

Resources?  What resources?  Do people have resources that I don't know about?

Seriously though, we do use photobucket for our pictures, because it provides an easy way to store and share our pictures on the blog.

Mojo, my first dog.  She was my best friend for almost 15 years.

8. What is the best piece of advice you can offer other bloggers?
 

Post often, it doesn’t have to be every day, but I have found that the more you post the more often people will return to see what you have written next.  This is something we need to work on….



Mojo

9. What is your vision for your blog in 2016? Do you have specific goals?
 

As I said before, my goal for 2016 is going to be consistency, and hopefully through that consistency we can add a few more followers.

Mariah, camping with us at a dog show in Maine.

10. You have the attention of the pet blogging community – is there one blogging challenge you’d like help with, or one aspect of your blog that you’d like input on?
 

Yes!  We would love ideas for topics you would like us to cover in 2016!



Mariah and my daughter, at a dog show, 11 years ago.

Thanks for visiting!  All of the dogs featured in this post have passed away, and since I wrote this on "Throwback Thursday" they were all on my mind.  They were each very special to us, so we wanted to share them with you.