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Pet Blogger Challenge 2017


It’s time for the annual Pet Blogger Challenge hosted by Amy from Go Pet Friendly!

I look forward to this challenge every year. It gives me a chance to reflect on our last year of blogging and focus on a new year of blogging!

Let’s get started!

When did you start your blog and, for anyone who is just seeing it for first time, please provide a description of your site. Would you say your blog focuses more on sharing stories with your readers, or providing a resource for your audience?

I started this blog in April 2010 . My Brown Newfies is a blog about my life with 2 Newfoundland dogs, Sherman and Leroy. I would say that our blog focuses on a little bit of both. We share funny day to day stories and provide information about dogs in general and Newfoundland dogs.

What was your proudest blogging moment of 2016?

My proudest blogging moment of 2016 was when I finally switched over to Genesis and created our monthly newsletter. I’ve been wanting to do both of those things for the past 2 years and in May of this year I finally took the plunge and did both in the same week!

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

Oh! That’s a hard one because I have a lot of favorites for different reasons! I always like posts that I can go back and giggle at but I also like the posts that help people. My favorite posts are the ones where I connect with people.

Year after year, one goal that we all seem to share is that we want to reach more people. What one tool did you use or action did you take this year that had the most impact on increasing traffic to your blog?

I experimented a lot this year with things. I tried implementing Barks n’ Brews at the beginning of the year to see if I could reach a different crowd and I did,  but after a few months it wasn’t really working. I wasn’t bummed about it because I actually started drinking more wine. I tried it and it didn’t work. I then narrowed down my niche even farther and that’s when things started to grow.

Which of your blog posts got the most traffic this year? (Please include a link.) Have you noticed any themes across your most popular posts?

The blog post that got the most traffic this year was 5 Easy Ways To Stop a Dog’s Bleeding Nail.  That post was written in 2015. The blog post that got the most traffic that was written in 2016 was So You Think You Want a Newfoundland, Here’s 9 Things You Should Know.   A theme that I’ve noticed is that List posts are my most popular over time.

What blog do you find most inspirational and how has it influenced your blog? (Please include a link.)

I’ve really slipped on reading other blogs so I don’t have an honest answer to this. I think any blog that has been around for a few years is inspirational. Blogging is not easy and we lose great bloggers every year so to see some veterans that have been blogging for 5+ years inspires me to keep going. But since I’m not going to bail on this question this year I will have to say that the blogger that most inspires me Amy from Go Pet Friendly. I’ve had the chance to sit down with Amy in person on more than one occasion and she is extremely knowledgeable in blogging and everything that goes on behind the scenes. She has helped me many times over the years and I always enjoy our meetings because we compare notes and lend a helping and offer ideas to each others in areas that we struggle.

What is one thing your readers don’t know about you or your pets that would surprise them?

I lost my job at the end of June this year. The place where I worked just closed their doors one day and that was it. I’ve been doing odds and ends of things to make ends meet but I haven’t decided what I want to do. I don’t think I want to go back into the veterinary world but I’m not sure. For the last 15 years I’ve worked in a field that’s animal or pet related and I don’t know if I need a change or I want to stay in this area. Let’s face it, I still don;t know what I want to be when I grow up.

What is something you’ve learned this year that could help other bloggers?

Try new things! If it doesn’t work it doesn’t work BUT what if it does?!

Write for your audience, they are your key to success so give them what they want. Are you going to nail it every time? No, but over time you’ll get better and nail it more often. Your blog is only as good as your readers are so be kind to them and make that connection.

What would you like to accomplish on your blog in 2017?

I want to continue to grow. After 7 years we are still growing and that’s something that I’m very proud of. It’s not easy to blog and it’s not easy to grow a blog so I would like to keep moving upwards!  Our best year was last year so I want to keep getting better. I also want to try more live videos. This will be a challenge for me because I hate public speaking.  I might have to drink wine while I do it to loosen up.

Now it’s your turn! You have the attention of the pet blogging community – is there a question you’d like answered, or an aspect of your blog that you’d like input on?

What keeps you guys motivated to keep blogging? How do stay on top of trends. What social media tool is your biggest traffic driver?

Thank you to Amy from Go Pet Friendly for hosting this challenge every year!


Join the Pet Blogger Challenge Jan 7th, 8th and 9th

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Denise Gruzensky

Monday 6th of February 2017

So sorry about your job hopefully you'll be able to look back in a few years and say, "yeah, that was the best thing that could have happened to me". I have to say your blog has it all. Beautiful photography, humor and information. I really look forward to reading it. I too want to be on your newsletter list. ? My motivation resonates with many others. Comments, questions, interactions in general make my heart swell. I also remind myself how lost I felt when Harley was diagnosed with diabetes... I need to write more with that in mind... ?

Denise Gruzensky

Wednesday 18th of January 2017

Your sense of humor and honest draw me in every time! You were one of the 1st blogs I signed up for and I absolutely love reading your blog (I'll try to be better about commenting). The way you view life's ups and downs is inspiring!

Jen

Wednesday 18th of January 2017

Awwww! Thank you so much for the nice word Denise! and thank you so much for reading! No worries about commenting, I'm guilty of reading and not commenting too!

Christine Caplan

Sunday 15th of January 2017

I'm such a fan of your blog and I love learning more about folks in this challenge! I'd love to hear more about Bark-n'Brews! What a great idea - did you feel like the theme/posts weren't resonating? I'm with you as I'm constantly trying to identify a niche and hone but I cannot figure out what it should be.... I'm sorry about your job - I've been there MANY times as I'm in marketing. I'm also working on my planner so just read your post and loved that you added a grooming spin to it - brilliant. Nice to "meet" you officially!

Jen

Monday 16th of January 2017

Hi Christine! Thanks for the kind words!

Barks n' Brews was a lot more work than I thought it would be. Researching new craft beers and then trying to find them was very time consuming and costly! I just wasn't able to devote the the time to it that I felt it really needed to be successful. There was also a few blogs that had nailed the area a lot better than I could!

Ivan Jordon

Sunday 15th of January 2017

Lost my job last year too. I'm just glad I found my footing a couple months later. Hope you have too.

Jen

Wednesday 18th of January 2017

Sorry to hear that Ivan and glad that you found your footing! Hoping that will happen here soon!

Callie, Shadow, and Ducky's Mom

Thursday 12th of January 2017

As usual, I'm late reading blog posts again. It's been a bit hectic around here lately, with Ducky's renewed snarkiness toward Shadow and my school work. And hubby's medical issues. And stressful to say the very least. But thankfully we have a wonderful, caring veterinary team helping me with Ducky.

Without a doubt, my favorite of your 2016 posts was the one where you laid out the differences between IBD and IBS in dogs. It was informative, and supportive, and it helped me to better understand Ducky's issues. But to get away from being selfish, I truly love reading ALL your posts. It just takes me a while to get to them, with or without commenting.

Jen

Wednesday 18th of January 2017

Thank you so much for the kind words! That post helped me too! I hope things start to settle down a little for you!

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