I've been thinking a lot about my blog lately and have wondered what I need to do with it. I wish that I could be more consistent and blog at least every other day, if not more, but I'm just not sure that will ever happen. Part of me wants to be more committed and try to make this a "successful" blog (getting way more than the 20-ish hits per day that I get now) and part of me wants to just not worry about it and post whenever I feel the urge, even if that's only once a month. Either way I feel like I need to make some goals for this new year. Here are some of the things I've been thinking about:
- I want to read my own books this year. I have so many books and I keep passing them over for books I see at the library or books I read about on others' blogs.
- I want to read the classics and modern classics that I've always meant to read but have never gotten around to.
- I want to post reviews for all the books I read this year. I don't think I wrote reviews for half of the books I read in 2009. I'm going to do much better this year.
- I want to find a way to simplify the review process. I'm not sure exactly what I mean by that but I want to come up with a way to write about the books I've read but to do so in a way that won't stress me out. It may not seem like it to you because my posts are pretty simplistic but most of the time I agonize over how to write my reviews. I'm not a good writer so I really stress over each word, phrase, and sentence that I write. I've seen some examples from other blogs that I may copy to help me write my posts more easily. I will try to get permission from those bloggers first before I copy their format. (Do you think that's proper blogging etiquette or should I not worry about it?)
- I would like to make my book blog a little more personal. I started out with a separate book blog and personal blog but I haven't written on my personal blog in over 6 months and I don't really want to start again now. I'd like to bring a little more of my personal life into this blog but I don't want to over-do it either.
So that's what I've been thinking about. I know most of them aren't quantifiable goals but they are the things I would like to work on in the coming year. I also want to add a few features that will take some time but will hopefully be available soon:
- List of favorites
- Archive of all books by title
- Archive by author
- Archive by rating and review
- New look and layout
Lots of work to do. We'll see how it goes. Many thanks to all of you who have read my blog this past year and here's to hoping this next year will be even better.
6 comments:
I have been following your blog for a few months now, and I'd love to see more reviews! It’s very courteous of you to ask before copying other author's format, and I'm afraid to admit that I published a book review just today based off your format with a few alterations. I hope you don't mind and see it as a compliment, but if you’d like I’ll gladly change it. Have a Happy New Year!
I have absolutely appreciated and enjoyed every review you've put on here. I come here to get realistic reviews. I love the rating system. I believe the same things you do in your "about me" part. I've taken many of your suggestions and haven't been disappointed yet.
I just really want to tell you not to stress over any part of this blogging thing. But I can't do that. I stress over the same things. But I guess it's time to embrace why we love blogging so much. It's individual. We have a voice. We express what we love and dislike while hoping to inspire others to do the same. I think you should make your blog whatever you feel will bring you the most enjoyment. This should be about you. You're the one who will wake up and do the work. It would be hard to find joy in it if I knew I was doing it to please others more than what I really wanted to be providing.
I'll take anything you are willing to share. And by all means....combine your personal life with books. It's all one big party.
Thank you for a great blog!
e.c.-Thanks for following my blog. I do take it as a compliment that you would copy anything I do here. I will have to check out that review you just posted. :)
Des-Thanks so much for your encouraging words. I do blog for myself and my own enjoyment but without the feedback I'm not sure I would keep doing it. I really appreciate the time you took to write me such a nice comment. Overall, I think I want to just have more fun with my blog this year.
It's funny to read what you've said about trying to decide how to manage your review blog and your personal blog - I've been wondering about that same thing! I've been trying to manage contributing to five blogs and doing a pretty poor job of it. I think I'm going to narrow to three for this year. I'll be interested to see what you decide to do.
I really enjoy your reviews!
Greta Marlow
Kim, thanks for sharing your goals. I want you to know that your blog was one of the first book blogs I started reading and it inspired me to start my own book blog! I love reading your reviews because they are honest and well written, and I would certainly like to see more of your reviews posted.
You have good goals, and it's important to enjoy what you do. I also think it a compliment that you want to follow another blogger's format. I don't see anything wrong with that. Looking forward to seeing the changes you will bring about!
Simplifying the review process. Bingo. I struggle over my reviews and they take me way to long. If you find a solution, I want to hear it!
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