Sunday, January 7, 2018

2018 Pet Blogger Challenge

I'm seeing lots of my favorite bloggers stepping up to the plate for the annual Pet Blogger Challenge. I don't think I've participated in several years. Not much changes here on A Tail of Two Cardis year to year so talking about my blog seems sort of silly.

Just in case you are new here, I'll give a little background blurb......I'm Taryn and I live in the Northern Virginia, suburban DC metro area. I have two Cardigan Welsh Corgis....Wilson at 14.5 years old (somehow he got old along the way) and Jimmy at 10.5 years old (forever young in spirit!).

Jimmy on the left...so guess which one is Wilson :-)
 I have been telling their stories since June of 2009. Crap! That's a long time. I pretty much blog for myself because I enjoy my dogs and I enjoy photographing them, and this blog serves as a place to store it all. Heaven forbid Google ever drops this platform! I would lose a huge chunk of my life! What I never expected was the friends I would make along the way. My life has truly been enriched by a good number of the blogs I discovered and the people behind them.

I used to post much more frequently than I do now. For some reason I haven't quite figured out, I've lost some of the drive for this. I don't know if it is a been there, done that problem or changes in my personal life outside my blog, or the dogs aging (shouldn't that make me blog more?!), but I could almost see this coming to an end. Some of it I blame on social media. FaceBook gives such instant gratification. Post a picture there and within minutes the "likes" are flooding in. It's just easier there. I also have a sense that blogging in general is becoming a bit passé. Does anyone else have that feeling?


My only goal for 2018 is to keep plugging ahead. Post when I feel like it and not worry about the rest. With Wilson's age and health issues, this may very well be a difficult year. Maybe that's why I've been dragging my feet. I know before too long there's a post coming I don't ever want to write. If I'm no longer here, I won't have to write it.

But enough of the doom and gloom. I hope that 2018 is another year of finding the fun and humor of spending time with my dogs, and catching it all on camera to share here (or on FaceBook! LOL). I've even got my eye on a new camera to get my creative juices flowing once again.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!





13 comments:

  1. Blogging is just a communication tool. It works for some times and places and not for others. So maybe social media does fill your creative needs.

    I'm wordy. So the long-form of blogging is a good fit. But I also like owning my content. Facebook or Twitter or Instagram could go away. But I own my blog and keep it on a server I pay for.

    I prefer not to be a "digital sharecropper."

    If you decide not to blog, I'll find other ways to stalk you and the corgis. :) Although I suspect if a puppy is in your future, you might rediscover your enthusiasm for blogging.

    That is, if you can find the time.

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  2. Sometimes we think blogging is nearing its end. We only have a computer.....SHE's seeing if SHE can go against the tide. Still have a flip phone that is used more as a clock than anything else. It's usually plugged into the socket. Don't use the Facebook account. So we may just disappear one day. We enjoy your dogs and the 'W' Wordless Wednesdays.

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  3. I'm new to the blog world, but I can see how it can be tough to keep going after so many years. I definitely feel you on the hesitation to write because of a senior dog. I wrote my About page last year well before I went live, and haven't had it in me to actually update it much since we lost our 15 year old girl Ginger, who was the main inspiration for my site. It's definitely hard, but it looks like the pet blogging community is a great ear for when times get rough. Hugs!

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  4. I have definitely had some ups and downs with blogging over the years. I think that's part of the process. I blogged with my first dog from 2010-2013. When he passed away, I took a few years off and then returned in 2015 and changed things up with the blog. So, I do understand your questioning things as your dogs age. Hoping they (and your blog) have many more wonderful, fun years ahead!

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  5. I agree with so much of what you said. Everyone has a blog anymore, and I'm just not sure of the influence of it all anymore. But, like you I blog for me. It's my diary of our travels. And it has been fun to make invisible friends all over the country.

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  6. Hi Taryn, I'm really with you in regards to a good portion of this post. 1) I have aging dogs 2) that post is coming and I also don't want to write it 3)Blogging is changing. And it's 3 that has really been resonating with me as I hop along to participating blogs.

    Blogging has become so much like a business, for me at least it seems to have taken the joy out of it. :-(

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  7. I would sorely miss not being able to follow 2 of my favorite cardi boyz, even though I have two (boyz) of my own...plus others.

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  8. I don't think that blogging is a thing of the past. Any quality content always finds an audience, I believe.

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  9. I've been blogging about my dogs for quite a while now too (since 2007) and like you I see a post coming that I don't ever want to write. I get a sick feeling in my stomach just thinking about it. I like sharing images and short one liners to Facebook and Instagram, but like Pamela I like to get wordy and own the content on my blog. Hopefully you continue to find inspiration to blog in 2018.

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  10. Hi Taryn, and thanks for joining the Challenge again this year! it's always so nice to catch up with bloggers I haven't seen in a while.

    I get where you're coming from on the social media vs. blogging platforms. For me, FB and Instagram are a quick hit to show people what we're up to today, or something ridiculously cute the boys have done. The blog is where I share most of my photos and the detailed information that will make it easier for people to plan trips with their own pets. That being said, we all need to do what feels right for us. If a few lines on Facebook works for you, I say more power to you!

    Wishing you all the best for a wonderful 2018.

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  11. I think that the only way to happily blog is to do it for yourself - which is essentially what you said. Who cares about traffic or other silliness? I love following your agility adventures. And the tough times are always a tiny bit easier with your blogging friends behind you. I've been through the illnesses and deaths of two dogs during my time blogging, and Blogville's support really helped me.

    I agree that blogging is less popular and FB/IG are much more popular. However, I never feel like I get to know my "friends" on FB/IG like I do in blogging. That's what keeps me going.

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  12. I agree with so much of this - in fact didn’t even do the challenge. Haven’t blogged in a while and can’t seem to get up the energy for it. But I do miss my bloggy friends.... So maybe I’ll be back. And I agree with you and KB that you’ve got to blog for your own enjoyment. I don’t care about traffic and whatnot. And the blogs I like best are the “slice of life” blogs like yours and many others that aren’t focused on trying to pitch some product. Of course, it doesn’t help that I’m feeling down on ALL social media right now.... Yes, Facebook is quicker/easier - but it can also be so... annoying. :) IG is my new fave and even that I haven’t felt up for lately.

    Okay... sorry - this is getting to be a downer. Doesn’t help that I always get the Jan’y blues. Anyway - I hope you’ll keep blogging - no matter how often (or seldom) cuz I love your blog and your boys!

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  13. Wow do I resonate with an aging dog. Our beloved Shasta crossed the Rainbow bridge in July and I wasn't sure I'd be able to blog again. This community has been my lifeline, even when I wasn't blogging very much. I enjoy your blog, photos and furry family members so I hope you keep blogging. I'll be coming back and start commenting more as I'm here with each new post. ;-)

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