Pet Bloggers Challenge

This is the 4^th annual pet blogger challenge hosted by Amy from GoPetFriendly and co-hosted by Edie from Will My Dog HateMe   and I'm so happy to be a part of this great challenge! 

Pet Blogger Challenge 2014

 And now, without further ado, here are the questions for Pet Blogger Challenge 2014










1. How long have you been blogging? Please tell us why you started blogging, and, for anyone stopping by for the first time, give us a quick description of what your blog is about. I have been blogging since February 2010 when I longed for a vehicle in which to document my thoughts and memories about a dear friend that lost her battle to cancer. I needed a place to sort my thoughts and post memories and photos and snippets of life as I moved from a place with her to a place without her.
Then on 8-18-2011 a Corgi puppy adopted us and we named her Jozi Wales Wigglebutt and that was the creation date of my blog that is all about Jozi the Corgi and the pussycats that she lives with. We have photos, reviews of products, information about Corgis and most recently we have been posting about rescue pets and are trying to get the word out that there are so many pets that need homes all over the world.

2. Name one thing about your blog, or one blogging goal that you accomplished during 2013 that made you most proud. During 2013 I was proud to see our page views increase to over 20,000! We have slowly been developing readership.

3. When you look at the post you wrote for last year’s Pet Blogger Challenge, or just think back over the past year, what about blogging has changed the most for you? I have taken more of an interest in shelter pets this year.

4. What lessons have you learned this year – from other blogs, or through your own experience – that could help us all with our own sites? I have learned many things this year such as frequency of posts and knowing that it takes time to build a brand such as Jozi the Corgi and that the followers will eventually come, stay a while, pick up a few treats and then come back another day to see what new tidbits we are offering.

If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one challenge you’re having with your blog, what would it be? I want more readers and more return visitors.

5. What have you found to be the best ways to bring more traffic to your blog, other than by writing great content? Social media is the best vehicle I believe.

6. How much time to do you spend publicizing your blog, and do you think you should spend more or less in the coming year? I spend about a hour each day writing, posting and linking to social media.

7. How do you gauge whether or not what you’re writing is appealing to your audience? Overall, I do not write ‘enough’ about information or causes and I think I should be doing this. I am thinking of starting a Friday Fur-able Tips and Tricks for your dog with a static posting weekly but have not as of yet.
How do you know when it’s time to let go of a feature or theme that you’ve been writing about for a while? I really have only had a theme of “Mantra For Mondays” on my blog and have mixed results from postings and have never thought about getting rid of it.

8. When you’re visiting other blogs, what inspires you to comment on a post rather than just reading and moving on? Some of the most inspiring posts that make me react and comment on are about new ideas for pets, stories of struggle and great photos.

9. Do you do product reviews and/or giveaways? Yes, both.
If so, what do you find works best, and what doesn’t work at all? I have found that putting the contests up with a entry method is best instead of just having readers comment on the product/review is the best.
What hurdle is getting in your way? What has not worked for me this year well is the Rafflecopter giveaway widget so for future giveaways/reviews I plan to use Giveaway Tools since it seems more user friendly and has less ‘bugs’ than Rafflecopter does.

10. When writer’s block strikes and you’re feeling dog-tired, how do you recharge? Jozi belly-rubs and scritches usually work very well for me.

11. Have you ever taken a break from your blog? How did that go? I have taken a break from blogging due to some health issues and during that time I really missed blogging. Glad that I bounced back and was able to continue.

Have you ever thought about quitting your blog altogether? What makes you stay? I have never thought about quitting altogether; maybe a sabbatical someday but I am content with my content and my muse Jozi the Corgi.

12. What goals do you have for your blog in 2014? I really would like to set some goals of integrating more social media sites into my blog and overcoming the challenge of integrating the 'Pinterest" on my blog. I am also hoping that I can get more readers and more followers in 2014.
Peace, Love, Barks and Treats Forever,
Cat