There is no doubt that 2010 has been an amazing year for me. In fact, when Beautifully Invisible went live in mid-June, my little brain never could have imagined what the next few months would bring. Four Links à la Mode features, Friend Friday discussions, various Blog Awards, and being named Grit and Glamour’s Blogger of the Year were just the icing on the cake (the very, very, very tasty icing!). The true highlight has been the wonderful connections and, dare I say it, friendships, I have made.
When I take a step back and reflect on everything that happened this year, it truly boggles my mind. I began this site with no prior blogging experience, and little idea of where I wanted this to go. Sure, I had some ideas and wild hopes, but truthfully, I went into it completely blind. I jumped, and hoped that I wouldn’t fall flat on my face. Thankfully, my face is still intact, and I feel like I have grown and learned more than I could have imagined in this short time period. 2010 was unforgettable, and I look forward to the new experiences and memories that 2011 will bring.
Image via Alpine Meadows Unfiltered
This week’s Friend Friday questions were suggested by Vahni of grit and glamour. Vahni isn’t the type of person who waits for January 1st to role around before she makes a change. Her passion for what she does is evident in her work and in her commitment to improving herself and her blog. It is only fitting that the questions that she suggested focus on our goals for the New Year… what changes will 2011 bring? So, on to the questions!
1. What’s the one thing you vow to learn or do in 2011 to improve your blog? There are many things that I would like to improve upon in 2011. I won’t list them all here, but I have to pick at least two: improving both my HTML and SEO skills. I am a complete novice when it comes to HTML and SEO, and although I learned a lot in 2010, there is still so much left for me to explore. Learning more HTML will allow me to make additional (fun! useful! unique!) improvements to my blog template, while improving my knowledge of SEO will hopefully increase both my blog traffic and rankings. There is so much more I need to learn, but I think both of these are a great place to start.
2. What did you learn about blogging in 2010 that you plan to put into practice next year? Wow, what didn’t I learn this year? Seeing that I was a blogging-virgin until June, everything I learned this year has been invaluable.
- I learned that I don’t have to post every day – quality will always triumph over quantity!
- I learned that being true to yourself and your voice leads to better content and increased readership.
- I learned that I should never be afraid to try something new or tackle a subject that has already been done a million times, as long as I am passionate about it.
- I learned that my growing relationships with my readers and fellow bloggers is truly what makes this worthwhile for me.
- I learned that commenting is the key to growth: the growth of your blog and the growth of your relationships. Without commenting, both of these will flounder.
I hope to improve in all of these areas in 2011 and continue to grow as a blogger.
3. Do you have any high-level goals for your blog in the coming year? Monetization? More comments? More connections with other bloggers? A new template? I think I am just going to take one day at a time and see where it leads me. Yes, I do have thoughts in my head about monetization and collaborations with other bloggers. I want to continue improving my layout. I want to increase my readership and the number of comments I receive. I hope to work on all of these things in 2011, but mostly, I want to focus on strengthening the relationships I have already established with my readers and fellow bloggers, and establishing these relationships with others.
When I began blogging I was an island – I was blogging for me, and me alone. Although this is still true to some extent – blogging is still a creative outlet for me, it is still my passion – the blogging community and my growing relationships within the Style Nation are what keeps me coming back day after day. That is what I want to focus on most.
4. If you could collaborate with one other blogger within your sphere of influence in 2011, who would you like to collaborate with, and what would you like to collaborate on? I can’t really answer this question in detail without writing a book, so I’ll keep it brief instead. There are so many talented bloggers out there that I would love to work with, for so many different reasons. I feel like I wouldn’t know where to begin. It’s no secret how much I respect Vahni from grit and glamour, Katy Rose from Modly Chic, Kristy Eléna from Vogue Gone Rogue, Casee Marie from The Girl Who Stole The Eiffel Tower, and A Brit Greek, so they would be at the top of my list. I would love to work with each of them, but they are just the very tip of that iceberg!
5. What do you plan to do to support other bloggers next year? This area is one where I am still learning and trying to figure out how I can best support the blogging community. As I mentioned above, I think the relationships we have with one another are so very important and I want to continue growing those. I want to continue supporting others by sharing links to their wonderful posts via twitter or my own blog. I want to hold more blog events, like the one that I am doing tomorrow, because I think it’s a great way to support one another. I am re-evaluating my guest post series, to see how I might be able to improve it.
I plan to do more, but I am still working on ideas… what are some ideas you have? I’d love to hear some of your thoughts where this is concerned.
Finally, I just want to say thank you, once again, to each of you for making this SUCH an amazing year for me. This blog has been a shining light in my life the past few months, and for that I will be forever grateful. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, and Happy New Year!
Image via Alderbrook Resort & Spa
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For more info on ModlyChic’s Friend Friday series, click here.
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