2016 is still in its infancy, so I thought it’s the perfect time for a quick recap of my past year of blogging, plus a quick look forward to what the coming year may have in store for us here on Irish American Mom. 

A little warning for anyone who stopped by today for a quick ramble about Ireland or the Irish in America.

This post may get a little too technical for your taste, as I share my trials and tribulations, joys and accomplishments, together with my goals and future vision for this website.

But if you too are a blogger, you may enjoy this post, as I share where I think I am on my blogging journey.

 

Setting Goals:

 

Let me confess! I’m not very good at setting goals and adhering to them.  After living in the US for over 20 years I have come to realize that Irish people don’t set goals with the same zest and passion as Americans.

When I first came to America to work as a physical therapist I had to learn how to set short and long term goals for my patients.  Now don’t get me wrong – we did set treatment goals in Ireland, but not with the same rigor and detail required by American insurance carriers.

However, this year I’ve decided to apply my detailed goal setting skills learned in American hospitals to my blogging endeavors.  I’m going to do my very best to stay on track this year.  

But before setting goals I must first examine the purpose of my blog.

 

Why I Set Up My Blog:

 

I set up my blog to help create a platform to promote my writing.  But now I find I’m devoting my energies to my blog and forgetting to finish my novel.  

But this does not mean I can give up my blog and focus solely on completing my books. No! I must find a good balance between writing and blogging, because in today’s world it’s becoming more and more a reality that you can’t have a writing career without a blog.  But unfortunately, I’ll have the blog, but no book at the rate I’m going.

 

Long Term Goals for 2016:

 

You may think I’ve lost the run of myself with this blog post. Why on God’s good earth am I boring you all to death by sharing my goals here.

Well, the reason for this public sharing of my blogging goals, is the simple fact that it will hold me accountable throughout the coming year.

If I set these goals for my eyes only, in the back of my mind I’ll feel as if I’m only letting myself down if I don’t complete them. But if you dear readers know what I said at the beginning of the year, then my old Irish tenacity and pride will kick in, and I might just work on accomplishing them.

And so, here are my long term writing and blogging goals for 2016…

 

1. To complete the editing process for my historical fiction novel, and to start submitting it to agents and publishers in 2016.
2. To submit a minimum of two picture book manuscripts to agents and publishers each month.
3. To post on my blog at least twice every week.
4. To share at least one recipe per week on my blog.
5. To finish our tour of Ireland county-by-county.
6. To double my blog’s traffic over the course of the year.

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My Novel:

 

My historical fiction novel is a never ending work-in-progress because I keep changing things up as I edit. I am not ready to let it go – to send it on its merry way so to speak, because there are point of view issues throughout.  

When I first started writing I wrote chapters from the perspective of many different characters, but I have since come to realize this can be very confusing for readers, and can upset the tone and rhythm of the plot.

And so, I am carefully rewriting to ensure the story is told from one point of view. It’s a lot more difficult than it sounds.

 

My Picture Books:

 

I have written many picture books over the past few years, but have not been diligent about sending my manuscripts to agents for consideration.

Perhaps I have let fear of rejection rule my submission plans in the past, but 2016 will be a new year where I send my little tales out to the big bad world to be read and reviewed. 

Let the rejections begin. I’ll keep you posted each month on my progress.

 

Biweekly Blog Posts:

 

As you know if you read my blog frequently, there’s neither rhyme nor reason to my blog publishing schedule. Sporadic is putting it mildly. I get distracted by soccer practice, homework, laundry, reading, writing, and just the plain old ins-and-outs of life.

However, I believe a twice weekly blog post publication schedule is very achievable with a little bit of planning in 2016. So keeping my fingers crossed, I can do it.

 

More Recipe Posts:

 

More blog posts in general for 2016, but especially recipe posts – that’s my goal for the coming year.

The most popular posts on my blog are recipes.  Here’s a snapshot of the top posts on my blog for 2015 …

 

You might need a magnifying glass to read this screen shot above, but the take away is that the most popular post on my blog last year was my recipe for chicken tenders, followed by potato cakes.

I haven’t been a diligent cook and photographer this past year. I often cook something for my family, and then regret I didn’t photograph the process. The solution will be more planning. I have many requests from readers and I will try my best to share my Irish recipes with you.

 

Ireland County-By County:

 

We’ve been stuck in County Kildare for the past six months I believe.  We’re doing this little tour Irish style – in my own good time.

These posts are very time intensive as I search for photos with a creative commons license that I can freely share on my blog.  I have started many of these posts, but need to get cracking on completing our journey.

But I promise, I’ll finish our tour in 2016.  Every time I sit down to my computer County Kilkenny pops to mind, but I never find the time to devote myself to a comprehensive tour of this beautiful, historic county. But Kilkenny, I’m on my way this year.

Just two county posts per month and we’ll have completed our tour before 2016 draws to a close.

 

Blog Traffic:

 

To those with very busy blogs my blog traffic may seem a little like this ….

Image Credit

 

Many bloggers keep their statistics close to their hearts, and don’t choose to share their traffic. However I’ve decided I should be more transparent with readers, and share where we are on this blogging journey.

Let’s face it, you generate this traffic, so why not let you know the whole story.

Why is traffic important for Irish American Mom?  I am hoping to be able to work with an advertising management company to help me with ad tags and to block out those belly fat ads I know are popping up on my site, but unfortunately I don’t have the technical know-how to block.

I need to reach 100,000 page views in a 30-day look back period on Google Analytics to be considered for advertising management. And yippee! Last month I achieved that goal. Fingers crossed they’ll help me.

Right now, I operate my blog at a loss. About $500 in the hole each year, but I hope to turn that around in 2016, and at least break even. And the key to operating in the black is traffic.

Thanks to all who visit and read my ramblings helping me to grow this little corner of the world wide web.

 

January To Do List:

 

To take us on this growth trajectory there are many things I need to accomplish in this coming year.

To keep my head above water I’m going to identify monthly tasks, and report back to you each month to ensure I get things done.

This month I plan to:

1. Change my blog layout so that the side bar is wider and can support better graphics and advertisements.
2. Create an e-book of my favorite recipes and make it available for free to those who sign up for blog updates by e-mail.
3. To improve my e-mail distribution system so that I can personalize each e-mail introducing my new posts.

 

A New Look For Irish American Mom:

 

I initiated the first task yesterday. You’ll notice the overall look of my blog and typography has changed. It’s a cleaner, leaner look for 2016.  (For my blog anyway, if not my own waistline).

Bad news is …  I can’t figure out how to add a decent sized header photo, so we’ll just stay green until I feel confident enough to change the code in the “.php files” ….. The very name “.php files” makes me quake. I’m scared at the thought of trying to code in the deep dark recesses of my blog.

The good news is my background colors are no longer blue, and we have returned to Irish green. Yay!!!!

 

E-mail Improvements:

 

My e-mail updates are very repetitive and boring, since they are generated automatically by a plug-in on my blog.

This month I hope to transfer to a paid service where I’ll be able to write an introductory paragraph, and make my e-mail communications less impersonal.

The bad news is ….  this service will cost money, and I might be sending myself further into the hole.

Don’t tell Irish American Dad!!!

No worries – I have faith we can do this. More traffic, will generate a little more money and hopefully cover the costs!!!  Fingers crossed.

 

Join Me On My Journey:

 

And there you have it – the first installment of Irish American Mom’s blogging report for 2016.

Here, I’ve set my goals, but I plan to update you each month with a blog and traffic report. Join me again in February, when I’ll fill you in on my progress, and set some more short term goals and identify important tasks for completion.

And now that I have bored you to tears with all this blogging jargon, all I need to say is THANK YOU.

Yes, thanks to you, the readers of Irish American Mom.  You boost me with your beautiful, heartfelt comments. Sometimes I feel like giving up this blogging business, but just when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I receive a lovely e-mail, or a comment from a reader that makes all the time and effort worthwhile.

Thank you for joining me on this blogging journey. Together, let’s make 2016 a great year.

 

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings) 

 

Irish American Mom