Get a FREE Year of Web Hosting + 4-Week Profitable Blogging Class for $5!

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how to start a blog

Heads Up: This offer ends August 31st!

Whether you want to learn about starting your first blog, or are looking for help and advice on how to earn more money blogging and grow your blog, Blogelina is once again offering her very popular 4-week Profitable Blogging class — right now for just $5 (normally $25)! This online class will be held in October 2013 and usually fills up quickly.

If you sign up for this class, here’s what you’ll get:

  • A class manual – packed with 60 pages of information that will help take the overwhelming out of starting your own blog
  • 4 weekly online class sessions where you can ask your questions and get personalized feedback
  • A FREE year of web hosting.
  • Blueprints, step-by-step tutorials, networking with other bloggers – Everything you need to grow your blog.

I often use the tutorials and resources over at Blogelina and have learned so much! Save yourself a lot of time, trouble, and money – learn from Tanya’s own experiences what to do and not to do.

Go Here to Reserve Your Seat In The 4-week Blogging Class!

2013 Annual Pet Blogger Challenge

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Annual Pet Blogger Challenge

I can’t believe it’s time already for the 3rd Annual Pet Blogger Challenge, hosted by GoPetFriendly.com! This is our 2nd year taking part it the Q&A:

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.

Daisy and I have been working on our blog together since August 2011. Here’s our 2012 Pet Blogger Challenge Post.

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

I was still just starting out, but my main goals at the start were to have fun and make it fun for our readers, learn as much as I could about blogging, help people find cool deals and save money on great pet stuff, and hopefully begin to monetize my blog.

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

Definitely making progress, and the goals are evolving…but not really changing. I’ve joined a few really great blogger groups and have learned so much in the past 12 months. I’ve been struggling with time management, so I really need to add that as a new goal to make sure this all keeps being fun for me and everyone else!

4. How often do you post?

I post multiple times per day, 7 days a week. I had considered cutting back on the “deals” aspect of our blog, but looking at our stats, those are among the most popular topics and category so I feel like I’m letting people down if I don’t keep up with the great freebies, coupons and money-saving offers they’re looking for. I try to post 3 or 4 great deals and offers each day but some days there are more or less. In an average week I also post at least one product reviews and giveaway, an info post, sponsored post or public service announcement, Wordless Wednesday Photos of Daisy, a Sunday Pet Coupon Preview and  a Weight Loss Update since Woof Woof Papa and I are on the Nutrisystem program. We know the average reader doesn’t have time to read all of it, but we figure different topics are of interest to different folks and we aim to please!

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

Posting deals, coupons and freebies really doesn’t allow us to stick to a strict schedule. As I mentioned before, I try to look at what’s out there for the day/week and post about the deals I think people really want to know about or wouldn’t find on their own. I do use a schedule for my reviews and giveaways, and other topics that make sense to plan ahead like recipes, craft ideas, tips and guides. It’s always a balancing act.

[Read more…]

K9 Kamp Pet Blogger Awards 2012!

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doggy step aerobics with Daisy

As our regular readers and fans know, we recently completed 4 weeks of fun and activity in the K9 Kamp Fitness Challenge for Pet Bloggers! You can catch up on our posts from the entire K9 Kamp series here.

K9 Kamp Savviest Blogger Award 2012

Although Kamp has ended for this year, the excitement continues because the K9 Kamp Awards have just been announced and we have been awarded a very cool one! Daisy and I are thrilled to accept The Savviest Kamper Award for “finding the best bargains on K9Kamp toys and fitness supplies” throughout the event! You can head on over to K9 Kamp Headquarters and see the full list of award recipients! Congrats to everyone and we can’t wait to do it again next year!

I’m Taking the 2012 Pet Blogger Challenge!

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Pet Blogger Challenge

The accomplished pet bloggers over at Go Pet Friendly and Will My Dog Hate Me have teamed up to host the 2nd Annual Pet Blogger Challenge and are inviting all pet bloggers to answer eight questions about their blogs and publish the answers on January 10th. First-Timers like me can get instructions and the full set of questions here.

1. When did you begin your blog?

  • August of 2011

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?

  • My friends on Facebook (and In Real Life) kept telling me that they loved the products, advice, pet deals and contests I would find and share with them and that I should start my own blog to help other people find great deals and cool new stuff for dogs. I love the satisfaction that comes from finding bargains and  saving money while still treating our pup Daisy to something special now and then, and wanted to share that with other pet parents! I also figured that starting a new blog was a great way to teach myself some new web skills and boy, am I learning a lot!

3. Is your current purpose the same?

  • Yes, I’m blogging and tweeting all kinds of pet deals, coupons, freebies and giveaways. I’ve also started to do product reviews, as brands and companies discover my blog and invite Daisy and me to try their products.  I’d also hoped to do posts on pet travel (since my professional background includes MANY years in the travel industry) but that hasn’t really come together yet. My blog is still pretty new, so I’m just trying to build my following with unique and useful content, get to know lots of other fun pet bloggers & parents and learn as I go!

4. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you?

  • I can’t always stick to a schedule because I post deals, giveaways, and coupons as soon as I find them throughout the day, since many are time-sensitive or have expiration dates. I’m trying to also work on outlining some more personal posts and tips, stories  and ideas that I can write during my downtime and then schedule. Right now I average about 4-5 posts per day but would like to do more!

5. Are you generating income from your blog?

  • Not yet. I’m learning as I go and have just started to join a few ad and affiliate networks. Daisy has received several types of treats and products to test, so if you ask her…she’s quite pleased with her earnings. I’d like to be able to cover all my costs soon, and eventually be able to afford to devote more time to working on my blog and expanding it as I figure out how to turn my passion into something that pays the bills! I’d also like to be able to afford to attend events like BlogPaws in the future if I can generate enough income to support my travel expenses!

6. What do you like most about blogging in general and your blog in particular (bragging is good!)?

  • I really like the feedback I receive from other pet lovers and deal enthusiasts on Twitter, Facebook and from those who comment on my blog. It’s rewarding to find a really great deal, new product,  or cool promo code and see that it’s something that other people find interesting and useful, too. I like hosting giveaways and seeing how excited the winners are when I notify them.  I’m  enjoying learning new skills and meeting other pet parents and bloggers. I’m expanding my Web and Social Media skills and find it fun to keep up with what’s new. A year ago I didn’t know what Pinterest or Rafflecopter were and now I use both!  I also just did my first blog makeover all on my own and am now running on the Genesis platform from Studio Press, which I really like. It’s been nice to get some compliments on my new design!

7. What do you like least?

  • Finding enough time each day to do everything I want to do to keep improving my blog! I am also not really a fan of self-promotion but I find that I need to toot my own horn and work hard to publicize my blog in order to keep people coming back and to get new readers interested in what I’m doing. It’s worth it though because I find that the more new readers and fans I have, the more valuable feedback I get about what people want and need from a pet deals blog like mine!

8. How do you see your blog changing/growing in 2012?

  • I’m hoping that as my traffic stats and page rank continue to improve, that more sponsors will become interested in working with Daisy and me and that I’ll be able to bring lots more cool prizes and deals to my readers!  I also plan to keep working on setting my blog apart from other deal and coupon blogs and providing a unique perspective and more value to my readers!  Daisy is a Rescue Pup, so I also hope to become more involved in using my blog and Social Media profiles to help support animal causes, shelters and rescue organizations and make a difference.   

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!!

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Happy New Year 2012

Daisy, her Papa and I wish everyone a very Healthy and Happy New Year! Looking forward to a FANTASTIC 2012!!!