So here is it — 2018! I want to start this year off strong. To do so, I decided I would put myself out there by participating in the 2018 Pet Blogger Challenge.
I was introduced to the 2018 Pet Blogger Challenge when I came across this gopetfriendly.com blog post and I was instantly intrigued.
I am very excited to share this with you. I only started blogging at the end of October. But I thought this challenge would be a great way to introduce myself to the blogging world.
So, let’s get to it! Here are my Q&As for my very first Pet Blogger Challenge:
For those who may be visiting your blog for the first time, how long have you been blogging and what is your main topic?
I have only been blogging a few months. Front Seat Ryder has been up and running since the end of October 2017. I decided to start a blog to help other dog moms find peace through the hard seasons in life. This can include regular life stresses or dog training issues.
I blog about my life experiences, as well as adventures with my dog Ryder. We provide doggie and life tips to help aid in the betterment of canine understanding. Mutual respect and effective communication with your pup is key to living a happier life.
What was your proudest blogging moment of 2017?
My proudest moment of the journey is starting. I made the decision to start a blog and I did! I got all my social media accounts set up and I put myself out there.
I am very proud of the progress I have made so far. I am a very shy and private person, so simply starting was a huge step.
Blogging was not something that has been in my heart for a long time like most bloggers would say. I would have never guessed that life would have lead me to this point. But I am extremely excited (and nervous) about this venture!
I knew nothing about the blogging world or hosting, or much of anything for that matter. Never used Twitter. I didn’t even have a personal Facebook account anymore. But when I decided to make my blogging move, it all came together.
I am still learning along the way. But I am extremely proud of how far I have come from absolutely nothing.
Which of your blog posts was your favorite this year and why? (Please include a link.)
My favorite post is a tie. At first, my favorite post was Teaching Your Dog Hand Signals. I chose this one simply because it was the very first post I wrote and published. I had never made my own Pinterest graphics before. This post was my first real attempt at the whole process. I wrote, edited, made graphics, found pictures and published. All without any prior experience. I am so happy it was the first of many blog posts to come!
However, that post is now tied with my 6 Successful Daily Routines to Improve Mental Health post.
Over the Christmas/Holiday break, I had a new vision for the blog. I have a very strong calling to reach out to women who struggle with their mental health.
I have battled depression, anxiety, and self-image issues for more than half of my life now. Yet, a very select few people in my life are aware of it. To my family, I am a very bubbly, fun-loving person. They have no idea the emotions and thoughts I have dealt with.
Being so transparent with my readers will be difficult. I want to reach out to others who feel unheard or unseen for who they are. I want to give back and spread awareness for mental health problems.
So, Front Seat Ryder now has a more specific focus — how to utilize your relationship with your doggo to improve your mental health.
In terms of your blog, how do you measure success?
To this point, I measure my blogging success in my consistency. Last week, I just received my first 3 subscribers. I have only been promoting some of my posts inside blogging Facebook groups.
I wanted to make a point of not setting goals that I have little control over. Instead, I set goals that I can manage. For example, instead of saying I want 100 subscribers in my first 4 months. I set a goal like I want to publish 2 blog posts a week.
I know the climb in the blogging scene is a marathon and not a sprint. It will take time to grow. But the only way to grow is to stay consistent.
In what ways has your blog changed during 2017?
Since I have only been blogging for a couple of months now, I can only speak for my progress up to now.
I came into this blog with a fuzzy picture of what I wanted to do with it. I knew I wanted to help out other dog moms like myself with bettering their relationship with their pups. I feel I have a lot of knowledge about dogs. Tips that can help other ladies understand and communicate properly with their four-legged.
Yet, there is also another topic I have in my heart to write about. I have lived with depression and anxiety since my early teens. Very few people in my life know this about me — making this topic very hard to cover on my blog. However, I feel the need to air this taboo subject in hopes that I could help even one other woman.
Ryder has been a huge part of my life in the last 3ish years we have been together. I have gone through some extremely hard times with him.
If it weren’t for the support of my pup, my life would be completely different from it is now. I want to teach other women to use the benefits of their fur buddies in their personal growth and mental health issues.
Up until this point, I have focused on doggie communication and training on my blog. I will soon be writing more about my struggles with mental health and how I have grown with Ryder in that aspect of my life.
What was the biggest blogging challenge you overcame in 2017, and what did you learn that could help other bloggers?
The biggest challenge I have overcome on my short blogging journey is my fear. Fear of what others will think of me. Fear of the haters — because I know that someone is bound to come along. Fear of failure.
Most of my fears become very paralyzing. I am super excited to say, I did not let my fears and self-doubt stop me from starting this journey.
So, if you have a vision, I advise that you JUST DO IT!
When things get hard, what keeps you blogging? (Question submitted by Pamela Douglas Webster of Something Wagging This Way Comes)
So far, I have been super excited to work on my blog. It is something that I really look forward to in my day. I have put in very long hours around my 9-5 trying to decipher the blogging game.
That being said, I know that I will burn out quickly and should not be keeping this type of schedule. I know that there will be times where I do not “feel” like working.
But my Ryder keeps me going. I want him to have a better life (crazy dog mom here). One where we can enjoy more time together. Where we can travel and explore more of the world together. Where I can wake up as happy as Ryder does daily because I have made a business that is my own.
Looking forward to 2018, what are you hoping to accomplish on your blog this year?
I really want to get into the swing of things in 2018. I am looking to make my blog a full-time gig in the future. 2018 will be my year to grow and learn as much as I can about blogging.
This year will be a year of great leaps and bounds in my personal growth. As I mentioned earlier, I am a very private and introverted person. Starting this blog is outside of my comfort zone, but so exciting.
I would like to gain subscribers and build an email list. But my main goal in 2018 is to remain as consistent as I can. It does not matter if I have zero or a hundred subscribers if I am able to touch just one reader’s life — it all will be worth it to me.
I want to be able to help as many dog mamas as I can. My vision is to make Frontseatryder.com a safe place to find support in the dog community.
One of my other big visions is to start a YouTube channel. That will be a giant feat for me. I have never worked with video. But I love watching and learning from videos. I think a YouTube channel would really help drive my some of my points home. It will also allow me to show my readers a glimpse into my life — I am a real person.
I would love to be able to collaborate with other dog bloggers. And really reach out to the dog mom community. I believe in having a safe space to learn and grow in life together.
In addition to what you’d like to accomplish, is here one specific skill you’d like to improve or master this year? (Question submitted by Jodi Chick of Kol’s Notes)
There are so many skills involved in blogging. I am just getting started. I need to learn more about promoting my blog posts. I also would like to learn more about email marketing, making quality graphics and taking better pictures. Pretty much anything and everything. LOL. 2018 will be a busy year of continued learning!!
Thank you for listening to my blog visions this far. In the last couple months, I have really felt a giant warm welcome from the blogging community. For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart! I am so excited to get to know all of you a little better!
[bctt tweet=”Let’s make 2018 the best year yet! Unleash your pawsitivity! Unleash your life!” username=”frontseatryder”]
24 Responses
Sarcastic Dog
Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world of pet blogging! You have done a beautiful job on the website and I applaud your willingness to share what is an incredibly personal journey around anxiety and depression. You are not alone and I know that your words will have a truly positive impact for many readers! We need to support one another in removing the stigma associated with talking about our mental health. I look forward to connecting via our blogs and on social media!
Front Seat Ryder
Thank you so much!! Your words are so kind. I am very excited to have started this blog. I have found so much support and love so far. I have hope that it will reach people. I look forward to reading more of your content too. 🙂 Thank you again.
Denise
Congratulations on starting your blog and building such a beautiful site! I took me over a year to figure out how to make better Pinterest images (I’m still working on it) and you have it mastered. Really great work!
I also applaud the new direction you are taking, though I’m sure it is very scary. When I rescued Harley I knew several things changed dramatically. I was in my late 20’s and single. After he came into my life I was finally content with my life. I had a companion for my adventures and understood fully what unconditional love was all about. It took my 2nd rescue, Shasta, to learn that both he and Harley had actually helped with my PTSD as well. What you are doing is so important and brave! I’ve signed up and I’m following.
Front Seat Ryder
Thank you so much for sharing, Denise. And for your kind words!! I am so glad you have the boys in your life. Pups really do make a huge difference. This journey will be scary, for sure. However, just the thought of being able to shine a little light in someone’s life makes me very excited and proud to head in this direction. I got Ryder at the same age as you got Harley. Ryder and I then experienced a very short-lived marriage together. Ryder and I both struggled along the way, but I am proud to say we have made it to the other side of a lot of life’s hills. I am very happy you decided to join the pack. Please keep in touch! Best to you, Harley and Shasta!
Oh, and my secret to Pins is finding a template you love on Canva and running with it. 😉 LOL.
Laura Morrow-Jacobs
Congratulations on taking the blogging plunge! I can’t wait to start reading your posts!
Front Seat Ryder
Thanks so much, Laura. ❤❤❤
Rachelle Willgren
Yes! Really, all you’ve gotta do is start! Great job! I look forward to seeing how your blog grows! Ryder is absolutely adorable and I just want to boop his nose!!!
Front Seat Ryder
Thanks so much, Rachelle. Ryder is a fan of the boop. Hahah. ?❤
josephinegrant
Huge congratulations on starting your new blog. It looks fantastic, great content and beautifully presented. You’re doing great! I really enjoyed reading your post, I found it really inspiring. Look forward to reading more of your posts
Front Seat Ryder
Thank you so much!! That means a lot. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. ?❤
GoPetFriendly.com (@GoPetFriendly)
Congratulations on starting your blog and welcome! I’m so glad you joined the Challenge, and I absolutely love your mission. Our dogs are such gifts, and using your experiences to help other people is a wonderful thing.
I hope, like Pamela, you find that blogging connects you with supportive and loving people. I think we all expect the trolls, but by setting the tone of compassion and kindness, you can build your vision of a safe place to discuss anything you want. You may be new to blogging, but this is your space, and you get to make the rules.
I hope 2018 is even better than you’re hoping – good luck!
Front Seat Ryder
Thank you so much! So far the support from other bloggers has been outstanding. Much more than I had expected. I was afraid that I would have to prove myself somehow to hang with the “Big Dogs”. 😉
It truly warms my heart to feel so welcomed. I am so glad I decided to join your challenge! I already look forward to next year’s challenge. HA. The community alone is reason to keep blogging.
I am hoping to learn as much as I can and make my little web space my own. Thank you again!!
ckmorita
Congratulations on getting your blog started! It’s difficult to push that publish button for the first time. I’m glad you mention consistency because that something I haven’t been doing recently with my blog that I’d like to get back to in 2018. I have a YouTube channel, but I don’t post as often as I’d like. I took a videography course last semester and we had a really easy to follow book called The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video that might be helpful when you start your video career. All the best to you in 2018!
Front Seat Ryder
Thanks so much!! I’m so glad you enjoyed my post. I hope I am able to settle on a blogging schedule and stick to it. ?
Awesome! I will check out your book. Where can I find it? Amazon?
ckmorita
Yes, they sell it on Amazon. Another book that has simple tips that I liked is called How to Shoot Video that doesn’t Suck.
Front Seat Ryder
Great!! Thanks so much for your help. ?
Jodi Stone
Congratulations on starting your blog, and welcome to the pet blogging community!! I think you’ve done an amazing job on your blog in a very short time! I’ve been blogging for over 7 years and still haven’t figured out how to make a nice Pinterest graphic. ?
Have you heard of BlogPaws? It’s an online community (and they do conferences once a year) specifically for Pet Bloggers. You can meet a lot of nice people there and they have some pretty good learning resources.
Front Seat Ryder
Thank you so much!! That means a lot to me. I enjoy making pins but I never know if they are effective. I just use Canva I found a template I liked and have ran with it. Haha.
Yeah, BlogPaws found me on Twitter. It looks so cool. I looked into the conference and I won’t be able to make it this year. I would really enjoy going though. I will keep it in my sights for not year. ?
7 years of blogging is so awesome! I can’t wait to be able to say I’ve been around that long! Congrats! I look forward to learning all I can from you awesome blogging veterans.
somethingwagging
Welcome to Blogville! So glad you joined us.
I also battle depression and anxiety. When I wrote about it on my blog several years ago, I fully expected the trolls to come out from under the bridge. Instead, I got a lot of love and support.
I hope you enjoy meeting other bloggers and finding your own community. Heck, blogging is a great way for an introvert to make friends because you don’t have to log on to see them if you don’t want to. ?
Front Seat Ryder
Thank you so much!! I truly have felt very welcomed as a newbie. So far the blogging community has been awesome!
I did definitely expect some trolly nah-sayers to come along. But so far I have been “safe”. Ha.
So true! Blogging seems to be right up my introverted alley! I am very hopeful for future! It has been exciting to meet everyone.
Thank you again!
omshantipups
Everything you wrote resonated SO much with me! I’m definitely more reserved and never saw myself as a blogger. I started around the same time you did, and so far I love it. I can also relate to your depression struggles, as I originally got my Roxy as a distraction from dealing with infertility. 3 months later we got Rico and they’ve been the best thing in the world. They’re a bit high maintenance and definitely not as good in the car as Ryder (Ri has anxiety issues from being a street pup) but they are the sweetest snugglers ever. I can’t wait to share in your blogging journey!
Front Seat Ryder
Thank you so much for sharing. I just read your post too! That is awesome. We can be blogging babies together. Lol.
Pup snuggles are the best. They are both adorable, by the way!
Stay in touch. I would love to share in your journey as well. ❤
Kristin Avery
Congrats on starting your blog! That’s a huge accomplishment especially for someone who is shy and anxious by nature. I’m both of these things so I totally understand your fear!
I’m looking forward to reading your blog and will sign up now. I think tackling depression and anxiety is pretty amazing. So many of us suffer in silence – I’m sure you will help many women!
Front Seat Ryder
Thank you so much!! Your words truly mean a lot. I hope you enjoy my blog. Stay in touch! ?❤