Renewed resolve: blogging goals

It’s just over a year since I started to blog. In that time, I’ve greatly enjoyed not just writing a blog but also reading others’ posts. It’s not something I’d engaged much in previously, and I am amazed at the quantity and quality of the good writing and engrossing content around, not to mention the generosity and positivity of blogging communities. I don’t have time to blog that frequently, roughly once a week, and I don’t have hundreds upon hundreds of followers, but I so appreciate the readers I do have, who are generous enough to spare the time.

I’ve probably broken all the rules on how you’re ‘meant to’ do it – be clear on your audience and purpose; be consistent; build an email list; blog often… To name a few. I do write about what I am interested in and what I like. Though true also, this blog can be a little… Eclectic. And meandering…

But back to the point… Both a year of blogging and the new-minted year itself make for a good time to set goals. These are with both being a blogger and a blog reader or follower in mind. Like my blog, they’re modest in scope, scale, and ambition (and not about search engine optimization, or promotion etc., important as those considerations are)—but are sincere objectives nonetheless.

• Be a ‘conscious follower’: continue only to follow blogs you will really read, not simply in the hope of being followed back. And follow blogs you like regardless of whether you’re followed in return or not.
• Engage 1: Don’t leave ‘blind likes’ on posts; take the time to read them properly (I am not in the habit of ‘blind liking’, but cannot say I strictly never have done it – sorry!)
• Engage 2: If you particularly enjoyed or were interested in a blog, take the time to comment. And take time to ‘like’ or respond to thoughtful comments that others have left.
• Engage 3: Be responsive when others leave comments on posts (that’s easy enough; it’s one of my favourite parts).
• Keep reading, keep learning: Learn from others – those who write good blogs, whether it’s from their approach, ability to engage, content, whatever the aspect…
• Stay regular: In my case, that’s continuing to aim to blog weekly. If it’s more, great, but if not, I will try not to berate myself. I admire those prolific bloggers who write daily or more, particularly whilst maintaining quality, but realistically, I am not going to have the time.
• Be analytical: Be better at understanding ‘what works’, which posts gain a positive response or interaction.
• Enjoy it: In fact, only do it if you’re still enjoying it.