It’s exactly one year since I started blogging and this is my 200th post !
I can’t believe that a whole year has gone by and people actually stop by to chat about dogs, books or just random stuff. I started to write after we lost our dog, Alfie, I knew nothing about blogging, did zero research just wrote from the heart.
I thought SEO was a sofa company!
So, it’s been a steep learning curve to get to this place and I suspect it is just the tip of the iceberg.
I Literally Fell Into Blogging!
You know that scene in Alice in Wonderland where Alice falls down the rabbit hole. Well, that is me, except Alice is much younger and has better hair.
What did I learn in the past year?
I learned that blogging is
Therapeutic
Addictive
Frustrating
Overwhelming
Another thing I stumbled across was that books need reviews to sell. I was reading 2-3 books a week but had no idea that a few positive words in a review can be a complete game changer for an author.
Then someone told me about NetGalley and I literally thought all my Christmas’s had come at once. I was one happy blogger!
I loved speaking to all the other dog lovers like me and having great discussions about crate training, shedding and loads of other topics.
I developed a love of Pinterest. Thank goodness I learned about this, it brings in most of my traffic. I even have a scheduler Tailwind so that I can pin while I’m sleeping!
So my world has really changed for the better although I am permanently attached to my laptop these days.
Here is the Waggy Tales family
We had a new addition to the Waggy Tales family. A Goldendoodle puppy called Luca came along in December and we have been charting his progress here on the blog.
Mr. Darcy the miniature Dachshund still features occasionally and we use him to promote rescue dogs which is another subject close to my heart.
Here is my most favorite post. It really got the dog lovers chatting and I’m glad to say
NO, IT ISN’T JUST ME! Have a look at the link and all will become clear.
I compiled a few dog poems in an ebook, you can find it on Amazon and a couple of children’s poetry books too! The new cover for Muddy Paws features Rosie and Luca my precious granddogs.
There are a few dog poems I wrote in this post.
My favourite books that I got to review.
Two very different books, one was an exciting psychological thriller, the other deeply emotive and thought provoking. I like the contrast of thrillers and romance books, I love to read anything with a ‘feel good’ factor and especially if dogs feature in the storyline. I also enjoy reading books that are based on true life events, and interesting biographies.
My Hopes For The Next Year of Blogging
I want to spend more time learning all about blogging and try to improve my posts.
I want to spend less time on social media and more time being productive.
I need to organise my time better so that I am not writing a book review at 2am.
I need to stop panicking when I realise how huge my TBR is and just enjoy reading.
Mostly I would love to engage with more people with a mutual love of dogs and books.
We can’t forget these two sweethearts who left us for Rainbow Bridge. Alfie is the inspiration for this blog and his dear friend Mickey, the Yorkshire Terrier was a constant visitor and part of the pack.
Thank you for reading, commenting and joining me on Pinterest and Twitter, it’s been a real pleasure.
Keep Those Tails Wagging!
This post contains affiliate links.
Hello, Waggytales! 🙂 I have a passion for my dogs and love reading your blog posts. I just wanted to say the link you provided for us to see your favorite blog is not working. Could you share the link here so we can read it? Thanks!!! P
Thank you so much . The link is https://wordpress.com/post/waggytalesblog.com/1615
Congratulations on making it through your first year! I know how you feel😊
Thank you
Happy 1 year blogoversary!!
I’ve been blogging for almost 9 years and I still don’t understand SEO lol
Karen @ For What It’s Worth
Lol, there is no hope for me then! Thank you for dropping by.