The Pet Bloggers Challenge: My answers!

I'm taking part in the Third Annual Pet Bloggers challenge, sponsored by Go Pet Friendly.com. It's a way for all of us to get to know each other better. To check out the challenge, head here.

1. When did you begin your blog?
I started my blog, Life with Beagle, in March 2012. So in a couple of months we are having our first anniversary! Guess I better plan something.

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?
My original purpose was to dip my toe into blogging and see if I could stick with it. I thought cataloging my misadventures with Lulu might be a fun way to start.

3. Is your current purpose the same?
 Well I stuck with it, so I guess I've achieved my goals! lol But this has also become a passion and something I enjoy. I didn't think I would enjoy blogging about my dog, but I do.

4. How often do you post?
I try to post three times a week. Sometimes I post more, sometimes I post less.

5. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you?
The only thing I publish on schedule is my Blog Paws Blog Hop post every week. I have deadlines on my day job, I like having a bit of freedom with the blog. I always try to post on certain days, if I'm posting. So I remain pretty consistent. 

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.
Depends on what I'm posting. For instance, my Diary of Lulu in a Thundershirt took maybe a couple of hours in total for the week, and that was 7 posts? 8? They were easy posts to write. Other posts take me a longer time, if they are more in depth. 

As for how much time do I spend visiting other blogs: Not enough. Maybe a couple of hours a week. I don't have any tips really for staying on top of everything, except to schedule the launch of your posts and tweets whenever you can.

7. How do you measure the success of a post and of your blog in general (comments, shares, traffic)?
Comments and traffic. I don't really have a metric for measuring quality. In a way I still live under a fog of uncertainty about it all. What I do know is every month I am able to increase my pageviews by 1,000, and it's rare that NO ONE is looking at a post on my blog now. So that to me is success.

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 constantly ask for critiques of my blog, just to get a sense of how I'm doing, and where I can improve. Might be a little vague, but I'm not really having any issues at the moment. 

9. What goals do you have for your blog in 2013?
More page views per month, more visitors, network more with bloggers and companies. Write more interesting and helpful posts. And grow my local community.