Today we are handing over the keyboard to Mama so she can take part in the 2016
Pet Blogger Challenge!
Take it away Mama!
Thanks Pups and thanks to Amy at Take Paws for hosting this event again in 2016!
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.
Dory's Backyard has been up and running since 2009. Through the eyes of the pack, we see the day to day fun they have both in our actual lives and in the interactive blogging community of Blogville!
2. What is the one thing that you accomplished during 2015, either on your blog or because of it, that made you most proud?
Being a part of a team of Bloggers who are planning a group meet of fellow "Blogville" residents "in the furs" during the summer of 2016.
3. Which of your blog posts was your favorite this year and why? (Please include a link.)
I have tons of favorites, the series of posts chronicling a "Girls Trip" with Dory was my favorite to write but Treats for Shelters was the most rewarding. Of course, all of the Blogville events we hosted are also right up there in the top ten too!
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?
5. Which of your blog posts got the most traffic this year? Why do you think it was so popular? (Please include a link.)
Jammie Time is our top post, a Blogville event from last January. I find Blogville events to be our top visited posts. Community involvement is key to Dory's Backyard
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.)
Tales and Tails is my favorite blog to read (outside of our "Blogville" blogs). Ms. Taleteller has a wonderful writing style which evokes laughter, tears and, occasionally, both at the same time! Also, the wonderful relationship she shares with her greyhound, Bunny, reminds me so much of the one I share with Dory.
The blog I have learned the most in 2015 is My GBGV Life. Emma is the most professional Blog Hostess I know. I hope to one day train Arty to be just as professional.
7. What resources do you rely on to enhance your technical, writing, photography, social media, or other skills that improve your blog?
Blog Paws has been a very good resource for most of the above skills. I also find participating in a few Flickr groups has helped to keep my photography skills honed!
8. What is the best piece of advice you can offer other bloggers?
Make sure to have fun! Your readers will notice when it's just not fun anymore.
9. What is your vision for your blog in 2016? Do you have specific goals?
I will be concentrating more on my photography this year so my posts and reviews will be more photo intensive. Going along with this, I hope to be more active in social media, especially Instagram and Facebook.
I also hope to continue to bring the Blogville Community together, both through online Blogville community events both online, and meeting fellow bloggers "in the furs"!
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?
How does everyone manage their social media? Do you schedule it through a third party scheduler, schedule it manually or post it on a real time basis???
Thanks again to Amy over at Take Paws for coordinating this wonderful chance to review 2015
and look forward to 2016
Love this Dory's mamma. We are joining this tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteyour photos are my favorite part of your blog, so it makes me happy to read you will be doing even more of them.. i have blogged since 09 but instead of growing mine, have whittled it down which is why i don't join most of the memes. due to health issues i have had to cut way back on my computer time.
ReplyDeletethose are some wonderful goals to set
ReplyDeleteIt is so easy to tell when someone's not having fun or feeling inspired anymore.
ReplyDeleteDown with the feeling of having to post x times a week, just do it when you feel inspired is how I like to think of it.
Having only recently discovered your blog through the Blogville Christmas Gift exchange, I can say that I enjoy your pictures very much.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Yes, you have to be passionate about this!
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you're planning more IRL meet ups. It's really fun to meet other bloggers and their pups.
ReplyDeleteGlad to meet you through the hop. :)
Great goals! We are so not organized and wish we were more like you :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome job and we agree - the most important thing about blogging is to have fun☺
ReplyDeleteGreat job with your answers. We have enjoyed reading your blog this past year and look forward to reading about all the happenings coming up this year!
ReplyDeleteYour blog is very impressive ...
ReplyDelete________________________
American Actor HD Wallpapers
We're all about that HAVING FUN part!!!
ReplyDeleteCammie!
I loved your Girls trips posts as well!
ReplyDeleteIn terms of your question about social media, I do not schedule using a third party site. I have discovered that the audience for Facebook and Instagram are completely different. Facebook is 40 and up (my age) and Instagram folks are much younger. This is why I post at different times on both sites. I have found posting on Facebook about 9 in the morning works the best for me whereas with Instagram the best time is 7 in the morning or after 5 at night. Since starting blog pages for both Facebook and Instagram, I have noticed increased traffic to the blog - though number of comments has stayed about the same. Blogville people are still the ones to comment, but I'm not getting lots more page views from other sources.
Pawsome recap!
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to get to know you a little better! I been to your blog before from other blog hops, but it's always nice to learn more about our fellow bloggers. Good luck in 2016 with your goals!
ReplyDeleteWe love Tales and Tails blog too! As far as your questions about social media at the moment I do everything manually and I don't plan much further than a day or two in advance. In the past I've used schedulers like Hootsuite and BufferApp. As I get more organized I think I'm going to go back to scheduling my social media posts in advance using one of the above apps. One other app that I've been hearing a lot about is MeetEdgar. It looks promising, but it's pricey. Good luck to you in 2016!
ReplyDeleteWe post all of our social media in real time but would like to start using the weekends to schedule a bit of promotion to go out throughout the week. Social media can be a big time sink, so we are trying to handle what we can in 1 or 2 short bursts each day instead of constantly checking all accounts!
ReplyDeleteI post my Instagram pictures on a real-time basis, but use MeetEdgar.com for my Twitter & LinkedIn feeds (sometimes for Facebook as well)! Happy 2016 and nothing buy success with your blog :-)
ReplyDeleteNice to 'meet' you. :-D
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to get better on Social Media. The one tool I've been told that manages is a number of various SM accounts is HootSuite. I've joined but I've yet to figure out how to use it. LOL
So glad you joined the hop!
Thanks so much for participating in the Challenge! I love that you're planning to meet up in person with some of the Blogville gang. Traveling so much has allowed me to meet a bunch of my blogging friends in person, and it's one of the best things I've done. I've even gotten to meet Ms. Taleteller - she's one of my favorites, too!
ReplyDeleteI've been using a paid version of Buffer to help manage my social media. For $10 per month I'm able to add stories to my buffer when I read them, and schedule them out to appear across all my social media platforms. It saves a ton of time and gives me a more consistent presence. Oh, you can also add up to 15 RSS feeds to make it easy to share them directly from Buffer, which works great!
I hope that you have a fantastic 2016!
One of my goals this year is to improve my photography too. People really love visual "information". It's literally a case of show, con't tell.
ReplyDeleteYes, do a lot of scheduling on social media. People have mixed feelings about that but I have no problem with scheduling as long as I plan to be there to engage when I get a response from it. It's also important to "pop in" on the channel at random times to see what is going on and engage. I use the native scheduler for Facebook, Hootsuite for Twitter and sometimes Instagram, and Schedugram sometimes for Instagram. Pinterest, of course, is always manual. The scheduling helps me remember to post regularly and saves a lot of time I can use to concentrate on engaging with my readers and fellow bloggers.
Good stuff! I just discovered you through this hop, and I'm happy to have done so. I, too, am planning to work harder on my photography this year, both in terms of skill and equipment.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question...I post my social media shares in real time, except for what I share through Triberr. I'm pretty sure that's not the best way, but I haven't really explored third party options much.
Great to "meet" you!
Hi there! I'm at work surfing around your blog from my new apple iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the excellent work!
ReplyDelete___________
ladies hand tattoo