Wriging

I would have to say, getting around 10 regular readers that comment would be a good goal. I have about 4 now that regularly comment and I know I have about 12 dedicated readers as their IP's show up daily.

Also, (not for my 9rules member blog but another) finding a way to increase my CTR to get a bit more money off my blog @ dciscores.com would be nice.

Get Erin to comment more.

Why, the same thing we do every year...

Record lots of spur-of-the-moment opinions so that I can look back on them in 2014 and cringe in horror.

Post more consistently, have time to create more tutorials and helpful posts. But working full time + 3 kids can severely hinder that :P

I would like to first continue to improve on my writing and secondly get up to 50 subscribers or so. I've been hovering around 15-24 for the last month or so.

I really try not to focus on traffic but I would like to see more traffic as a result of my writing getting better. Obviously continuing to get my name out there is on the list as well!

Some good responses here; I think Greg has a good attitude in moving forwards - a continued focus on writing good content should mean most other aspects fall into place.

No stats wishes here.

I have, however, been living and breathing tutorials and screencasts for the past half year, and I would very much like a) to write more about that, b) actually use the technique on my blog from time to time, and c) become a leading authority on the matter.

Okay, maybe not the last bit.

That in mind, though, it's not my intention to turn towards tech writing or something. I want to keep writing what I feel passionate enough to write about. But summed up (like Lindsey has): write more, do more and have it be useful and worthwhile to others more.

That'd be nice.

But Nils (and others), do you have any quantifiable goals for the coming year? I guess it depends how you use your blog; whether you're aiming for world domination or just idly getting by.

If you're going for world domination you need to think of it like a business and have some objectives you want to achieve and a timescale for doing so. That's what I meant.

Whether you want to go from 5 readers to 50, or get over $100 a month, or maybe even get 100 comments... Something goal oriented does help because you have something to work towards that you'll know when you meet it.

Oh, no, none of that whatsoever. It's not a plan at all, of course, but more of a vague idea of how I would like to write more articles that could contribute to a certain subject matter.

The one goal that I might be able to define is: when someone would actually find a post to be useful.

How to quantify that? I've no idea. If, at the end of next year, I would check my posts for 2008, and notice I'd have written x amount that fit my vague notion of a worthwhile article, that could be enough. But how many posts? I couldn't possibly tell.

Comments are a tricky quantifier in that, I think. Some people might comment saying they liked the article ("it was interesting, thanks") but not actually do anything with the info, while other might use it, but not comment.

Maybe more trackbacks to posts would be great. Someone mentioning what you wrote is a clear indication you contributed, and that the dialogue continues. Although, again, I couldn't say how many trackbacks that would have to be.

Keep writing; get better at it; like Nils, write more stuff that others would find useful in some way or another.

That's about it. I could profess to have some master plan to gain a billion subscribers and make 4 million dollars a day, but... well, we already have plenty of bloggers like that.

Fine, I'll answer seriously.

My only goal is to find a focus. This year has been terrible for my blog — I don't know what I want to write about, and when I do, I haven't been doing it very well.

Write better, write more. In a nutshell.

Somehow, traffic and feed subscribers have remained on the up, so statistically, my only goal is to keep on keepin' on.

Rich, find focus or change angle?

Mind you if things have been progressing naturally this year that you claim to have been "bad", surely you were doing something right!

Finding focus may require a change of angle. Or it may not. I haven't decided yet. I've even come close to just scrapping the whole thing a few times recently. Clearly, something needs to be done. I just don't know what, yet. (And I'm open to suggestions.) I enjoy writing about what I (mostly) write about — life, really — it just isn't particularly generous with content, so maybe some sort of filler is needed.

And increasing traffic and feed subscribers isn't worth a thing if you don't like what they're reading.

My goal is to be happy with my blog again by January 1st 2008 and see where it goes from there.

Rich, I completely understand.

Probably 4 months ago I completely changed the direction I was taking my blog in, accepting that I would lose subscribers, readers and backlinks.

However, provided you keep the changeover smooth (take the hit and write some content your readers want to read, while focusing on newer content too) then you shouldn't feel the pain too much.

Still, it's depressing when you see the stats drop a little, even if overall site activity is up.

I would definitely like to write better posts. I feel like I've been slacking the past few months, mostly because I've been busy and/or uninspired. I'm not sure how to change that, but it's something that's been on my mind for quite some time.

I'd also like a redesign, which I plan on doing early next year so maybe that will pump some inspiration in me.

Just try to figure out where I'm going. My traffic and subscriber count has doubled since March, but the number of comments I get now is about the same as I had in March. So trying to connect more would be a goal. Well, more of a hope than a goal, because I'm not specifically going to write comment bait.

I've been blogging in one form or another for years. This year has been different. In the last couple months, I've given myself a bit of a reboot, and changed the scope of my blog.

I used to post about any inane thought that came into my head, or any funny links that I found, or god knows what.

I have changed that and matured in a manner. I've set goals for myself to post every monday, wednesday, and friday. On top of that I'm trying to make sure that the content that I put out is, if not at professional level, then at least something I can be proud of. I'm trying to make sure I am putting out content that others can actually benefit from.

I guess my goal for 2008 is to continue that trend, and see where it takes me

I wud like have atleast 50 subscribers by December 31st 2007. I am at 34 right now!

and also improve my writing skills and bring variety to my posts.. Hmm that wud be nice..:)

I want to keep it up. My blog, in it's current form, has only been going a few weeks, but I'm seeing good results already - so I just want to continue that into next year.

Get up to 20,000 visits per day. (It's at 5000 now)

Have more guest writers.

Publish far more than I do by myself now.

Which reminds me. If anyone here wants to submit a guest post on SEO, marketing, traffic and link building and such, I'd love to have some 9rulers publishing some good original content.

@friday: How could we publish anything original on SEO, marketing, traffic or link building? I believe the "pro bloggers" have already covered it approximately 15 billion times. Or was that 17?

@Josh, I understand your cynicism. But you've got to admire those guys, in a perverse, half-pitying sorta way. They're beating about the same bush over and over and over again, looking for a fresh new angle on it all, and somehow they post several times a day. That is quite a something, isn't it?

I will publish 200 more posts (yeah right).

I'll try to push out at least 1 thought provoking, well written, well constructed post every week, but I've a feeling studies and sports will get in the way. I'm aiming for nothing stat wise, and that's kinda sad, but I'm afraid 2008 will be a sort of bumper year for Novelr, the poor thing.

We can't all have our cake and eat it.

@Josh - there's actually something new in my industry every day. If people don't write about it it's because they aren't keeping up with the industry. It's their choice to write about the same thing over and over, but if you look deep enough, you'll find that you favorite gaming site or anything you subscribe to can be painted with the same brush.

You're just cynical about an industry you don't care much about. No biggie - I'm the same way with thing I could care less about. Give me an example of something YOU are really into and I can come back with all kinds of generalizations and "meh" comments.

I'm another one of those who annoyingly doesn't have goals with regard traffic or money.

I'd like to keep the standard up at Bright Meadow, as I know I've been a little lax with my posting consistency lately. It shouldn't be so hard to post three new things each week, but it is!

Other than that, I would like to see a continuation of the trend for new people coming into the comments and joining the community that is building there. I also want to consolidate the readership I have already and keep them - I don't want to get new commenters at the expense of the old ones.

There's also been a couple of exciting opportunities and near-opportunities this year for Bright Meadow. I'd like 2008 to be the year they come to fruition and get to be concrete things I can talk about (I know, enigmatic, but then all the best top-secret plans are!)

I'm in a similar situation as Rich mentions. I want to find a focus; not necessarily in the sense that I limit what I write about, but to flesh out a red-thread that identifies and connects my writings.

Although I've matured in the ≈year I've been at it, I don't feel mature with a capitalized M. I'm still experimenting with styles of writing and content, which I'd like to continue -- but with a clearer direction.

In addition to finding this red thread I want to redesign the site to reflect it (and make some general improvements on usability). I'm hoping to garner some experience and knowledge in branding/marketing as I go along.

So, in short: 2008 is for learning and improving.

I want to expand my readership, work on SEO, and get to a 1000/visits a day mark.

I want to post to my blog, with interesting but not always complicated content, everyday for an entire year!

2008 specifically...

I would like to start getting more comments on my blog posts, I would appreciate 5-10 per post, the feedback is always helpful. I would also like to build relevant traffic from other Personal Development blogs, instead of getting general traffic from unrelated sources.

When I think of goals blogging doesn't enter my mind. My blog (s) are not businesses. I've never been sure why I even started "blogging". Maybe my goal should be figuring out why I can't stop.

I started a third blog which has no clear concept, just to have some fun.

I can't think of a blog as something to which I assign goals, that is for grad school and life - the blog is third violin.

I'm hoping to maintain, while continuing to explore others blogs.

What do you want to achieve with your blog in 2008?

Enlightenment. Maybe even ascendance. And if I'm real lucky, wealth.

I want to start commenting more. I'm going to make an effort to comment as much as possible. Maybe my readership will grow. I'd just like to make some new blogger friends, maybe I'll make a few bucks on the site. Who knows.

Increased quality; technique; consistency. The usual.

Really, I'm happy with my blog remaining to be a pressure-free platform to write about things that entertain me. My expectations for it only ever amount to things I expect of myself (to communicate clearly, express personality and suchlike). Issues like stats don't bother me so much these days.

Granted, it helps that I've been running my blog for a couple of years now and have a good connection with the community it's based in. Both these things provide no end of confidence and I can't recommend them enough to newer bloggers.

Increase more visibility...

To get one back up and running... then, a post a day.

Simple, yet tough.

I'm going to start carrying a little notebook with me everywhere so that when the inspiration for a great post hits me I can actually record it on the spot instead of trying to remember it, going home and sitting in front of the computer, and then realizing that I've completely 100% forgotten what I was going to write about, let alone how I was going to say it.

Maybe that way I'll actually be able to post more than a few times a month, because I'll actually have something to say when I have the time to say it.

Since I just started my blog (Buddhasm), I am hoping to improve my writing skills and document my transition throughout the timespan of my blog.