When I started blogging, I didn’t really have a goal. I felt no pressure to write with a certain frequency, I certainly didn’t feel the need to share my blog address with anybody that I knew. Blogging was a way for me keep track of things for posterity, to learn to write better, to interact with fellow bloggers and learn a thing or two from them.

However, as the desire to be a good blogger (which in my mind means someone who is smart, entertaining and engaging, who can put an amusing or poignant spin on mundane or sad situations) has grown, and as I’ve become a regular reader of blogs on problogging, I’ve realized that just as I set goals for life (such as my infamous goals of losing 100lbs before I die, and getting my driver’s license before my eyesight deteriorates too much), I should set blogging goals.

In order for goals to be effective, it’s important to have someone who will flail you repeatedly when you fail to meet your goals. If that is not possible due to the laws of the country you live in, then perhaps having goals that are measurable makes sense (ok, I learned that at work). With that in mind, here are my blogging goals for 2008:

Write regularly, but no less than three times a week
With the exception of the month of November, where for the past two years I have written daily, the rest of the year I am very sporadic with my posting and sometimes nearly two weeks goes by without me clicking “publish” on anything. I want to be more deliberate with my posting, and aim to write every other day.

Part of writing regularly involves posting around the same time. A friend of mine told me that he used to read my blog after he’s checked our city’s equivalent of Craigslist and since I generally post later at night, expecting to read a fresh entry the next morning works well. WordPress even allows you to set the exact time that you want your posts to show up so I no longer have an excuse for not posting at the same time consistently.

Reach people and feel like I am making a positive difference
(I promise I’m not recycling that from my pageant days!). I would like to be able to feel like someone visiting my site and reading this blog is better for it. People read LTD and GC for obvious reasons; I’d like people to feel like they get something out of reading about my life. If they get inspired to start rulking or making up fun words, that’s great. Perhaps you read my entries about the unfun aspects of being single, and hug your husband or boyfriend a little tighter. I’m not trying to change the world here, just hopefully make someone smile or get engaged enough to share their expertise. Even if all you get from this here blog is a chance to share your opinion, that’s good enough for me. Oh, and I’d love to make/get prizes to give out every now and then, just for fun.

Proficiency with Photoshop so my blog looks good
I know you don’t want to hear me going on like a broken record about this, but I will become comfortable with Photoshop if it kills me. I want to learn how to create banners that don’t suck, I want to master the art of using layers and masks and all the wonderful effects that are possible with a few clicks of the mouse. You’ll be able to tell that I have mastered this when my blog banner makes you ask “Who made that?” all incredulous like, and you swoon at the sheer beauty of my banners and the accompanying witty tagline. And you ask me to make you one too.

Earn enough to cover hosting
The purpose of this blog is clearly not to make money, but perhaps it would be a worthy goal to try to make enough to cover the hosting costs of the site. Hosting currently costs $14 a month. If my initiatives to earn a bit of money works, perhaps I could try to also cover my internet costs ($38.35 per month) through blogging too.

Those of you who drop by here every now and then may have a goal or two you think I should add. Do tell if you do!

Filed under: Blogging, Goals by jummy