My Blogging Goals

I don't remember exactly why I started this blog, except that I'd started to read some regularly and thought having my own would be fun. I've always liked to write, as long as I could write what I wanted. I've always liked to share what I find, and the AOL message board at which I spent most of my time just didn't seem like the right place for my eclectic collection of links. If you check my archives you'll note that while I have had this blog since 2005, I didn't really start writing regularly until I discovered book blogging. Now it has become my favorite way to combine three favorite activities--reading, writing and playing on the computer, particularly the internet. In the process I've again realized I like it when people read what I write and I enjoy seeing the number of hits on my counter go up and seeing lots of comments on my posts.

In reading blogs I've noticed a lot of bloggers set out goals for the new year. When I was in college, my education professors defined goals as long-term endpoints (ok that wasn't the exact wording, but that was the idea--a goal was where you wanted to be or what you wanted to achieve. Objectives were shorter term more easily defined and described endpoints that would get you to the goal. To use a favorite New Year's example, losing 50 lbs would be a goal. Objectives would be to follow a particular diet or eating plan for a week (and then another...), to exercise for 30 minutes daily, to eat less than X calories per day etc.

My goal is to increase readership of this blog. To do so I am going to: (each objective is marked as easy, meaning I'm already doing it, medium, meaning I'm not, but doing so shouldn't be too hard, or challenging, meaning I'm going to have to consciously work at it)

1. Post at least one book review per week. (easy)
2. Post at least one non-tour book review per month (easy)
3. Post at least two posts per month about my family (medium)
4. Post at least two posts per month about my opinion about something (challenging)
5. Try one more time with Taking it Deeper Tuesday--and if it doesn't work, then drop it.(could be easy or challenging. (Easy if the post I write tonite is my last; challenging if I get to keep it up.)
6. Continue to participate in Faith N Fiction Saturday. (easy)
7. Post link collections of children's activities for Mardi Gras (maybe), Lent, Easter, Mary, Pentecost, the Rosary, and All Saints Day. (medium)
8. Update and re-post collections on Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. (easy)
9. Participate in at least one carnival per week. I've found the Catholic Carnival, the Christian Book Carnival and the Book Review carnival, so I ought to be able to find at least one post for one of them each week. (medium)
10. Comment on at least two blogs per day (challenging)
11. Comment on at least two blogs I haven't been reading regularly per week. (challenging--but can be combined with 10)
12. Have some sort of graphic on over half my posts (challenging)
13. Participate at least twice a month in a Meme, or some other type of "everybody is doing it" type of post. (challenging)