1. When did you begin your blog?
- Shortly after adopting Luna in July 2011.
2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?
- I wanted to document the change in Luna from track dog to retired pet. I also wanted to share pictures and stories of Luna with friends and family.
3. Is your current purpose the same? If not, what’s different? If so, how do you feel you’ve met your goals?
- The answer this question is kind-of-sort-of. My goal of sharing Luna's life as she adjusted to home life was met. The blog now focuses on how Luna continues to live a full and happy life after her accident. My goal is to share her story of triumph over adversity and to brighten others' days.
4. How often do you post?
- Originally, I posted twice a week. That was ambitious, but I had a lot to talk about in the beginning. After Luna's accident, I had to post every day otherwise I received emails and comments from people all over the world who were concerned about Luna. Now that things have settled down, I try to post at least once a week unless there is something significant to report.
5. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you?
If you publish on a schedule, why?
How strict are you about your publishing deadlines? What do you do for
inspiration when it feels like you’ve covered every topic?
- I sort of have a schedule. I like to see that I've posted at least once a week. If I notice too much time in between posts I force myself to sit down and write something. For inspiration, I look through my phone's pictures. More often than not there is a story behind my pictures that I want to share.
6. How much time do you spend writing
your blog per week? How much time visiting other blogs? Share your tips
for staying on top of it all.
- How much time I spend on each post depends entirely on the post. Usually, I spend less than an hour (maybe a half hour). I want to keep my posts easy to read, lighthearted, and fun. When it comes to visiting other blogs, I read new posts as often as I can. I love keeping up with what others are writing about. Please keep sharing new stories!
7. How do you measure the success of a post and of your blog in general (comments, shares, traffic)?
Do you look strictly at the numbers, or do you have a way of assessing the quality of those interactions?
- I guess I measure success by the comments left behind and the number of steady readers. It's nice to see big numbers on some posts, but I prefer hearing what my readers think of each post. I just wish it was easier to respond to everyone's comments and suggestions.
8. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one issue you’re having with your blog, what would it be?
- How do you take decent pictures and video?! There are so many things I would love to share, but either my camera becomes a problem or Luna is camera shy when I get it working. Argh!
9. What goals do you have for your blog in 2013?
- I'd like to keep up a steady blogging schedule. I think Luna, Mike and I should also have more adventures so we can report on shops, tourist spots, parks, and other things to do in NJ.
4 comments:
I'd love to see more about Luna having adventures! She's a remarkable dog, both because she's so pretty and because of her recovery. If I have a dog who is camera shy, I try to ease into it. I stay back and don't invade their comfort zone with the camera on my face. I also try to take pictures without the flash in natural light, because the flash really seems to bother some dogs. We also try to make sure that taking pictures has happy associations for our dogs. They get a lot of treats for letting us take their pictures, and now when the camera comes out, they know the routine pretty well.
Love reading about Luna and also what you have been doing.
Love to see Luna on her adventures. Getting to know all the camera settings by heart keeps me from fiddling around with the parameters and missing a shot. I still miss some shots, so it's always a learning process. Good luck.
You should definitely have more adventures, so you can report on them!
I didn't realise your blog was so young. And there's not much wrong with your pictures. The only tips I can give you are:
1) Use spot focus on a black dog, concentrating on the eye area. If necessary, if there's a lot of light in the background, you may have to stop the shutter down a bit using the exposure compensation feature.
and
2) Make sure there isn't too much clutter in the background.
It's worth learning to be quick, too, but that's something I'm still working on!
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