Pet Blogger Challenge 2013!

1. How long have you been blogging and provide a link to your post from last year’s Pet Blogger Challenge so we can refresh our memories.

September 2011 - that's when I started barking out at the dogosphere.
Here are my answers from last year!

May I send a special bark out to all our fur friends and their humans? Wags to each of you for being my friend.

2. What do you consider the most important goals you set out in last year’s post?

My number one goal was to help Mom write again after the passing of her mom.

Here we are along the Ligurian Sea over the holidays.

3. Have you made progress toward those goals, or have your goals changed over the past year?

A little bit of both.

4. How often do you post?

At least once a week, but typically 2-3 times a week.

5. Has your opinion of blogging on a schedule or as the spirit moves you changed?

A schedule helps any creative endeavor. Then, when the dachshund muse visits, one is well prepared.

If you publish on a schedule, why? How strict are you about your publishing deadlines?

As strict as a Swiss-German pedestrian reporting the license plate of a car that exceeded the speed limit by 1 km/h.

I like publishing on Blog Hop days such as Monday Mischief, Wordless Wednesday, and Black and White Sunday.

What do you do for inspiration when it feels like you’ve covered every topic?

We hike all the time, so we get inspired as we perspire.

Here I am looking out over Lake Lugano in southern Switzerland.

If you don’t publish on a schedule, why? How do you think your decision affects your audience?

Writing a blog is very much like pooping: regularity is a plus, but when you have to go, you have to go.

Do I have to pose with one more wreath? Holidays are over!

How do you know when a topic is “post-worthy?”

Anything in my life can be “post-worthy”. Even checking pee-mail is post-worthy against an alpine backdrop.

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.

I'm not a 9-to-5 dog, so I never keep track of my hours. Sometimes I blog as I'm napping.

7. How do you measure the success of a post and of your blog in general (comments, shares, traffic)?

I believe in the quantitative assessment of the performance of my blog. The number of (non-spam) comments is certainly important, but my preferred figure of merit is the number of hits from IP addresses located between the tropics, as they generally correspond to the hottest readers.

Do you look strictly at the numbers, or do you have a way of assessing the quality of those interactions?

I have empirical evidence that the success of a post can be predicted by the number of times I wag within the 24 hours prior to its publication.

8. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one issue you’re having with your blog, what would it be?

I would like to get better at monetizing my blog. I would like to achieve canine financial independence, i.e., generate enough income to pay for my dog food, vet visits, and my $50 yearly Swiss doggie tax. (As a dog, I qualify for flat rate taxation in Switzerland.)

Dog-blogging income would also help with the cost of flying back and forth between America and Switzerland. Why don't airlines offer frequent flyer doggie miles?

9. What goals do you have for your blog in 2013?

Essentially two goals: (1) to find a sponsor; (2) to keep on wagging.

Thank you, Amy, for hosting the challenge!