I thought I'd answer these Blog Hop questions because reasons

Because, even though I rarely blog now, blogging used to be incredibly important to me and I feel it's been degraded and despoiled in recent years, I thought I'd participate in this year's pet-themed Blog Hop.

1. How long have you been blogging? And, for anyone stopping by for the first time, please give us a quick description of what your blog is about.

I have been blogging since 2004. I  blog about animals, animal sheltering, veterinary medicine, pet health, teevee, and politics.

2. Tell us one thing that you accomplished on your blog during 2014 that made you proud.

I blogged.

3. What lessons have you learned this year – from other blogs, or through your own experience – that could help us all with our own blogs?

Be ethical. Stop thinking about traffic and SEO and making money. Write well, and from your heart.

4. What have you found to be the most successful way to bring traffic to your blog, other than by writing great content?

Writing great content and sharing it on social media.

5. What was your most popular blog post this year? Did it surprise you that it was your most popular?

Death Eaters now control both chambers of Ministry of Magic, which I wrote after the mid-term election. Not surprised, because anything with a fandom angle will always do well, and I have a lot of fandom followers on Twitter due to my years of recapping television shows.

6. What was your favorite blog post to write this year?

Can animal rescue groups survive without adoption fees?

7. Has your policy on product reviews and/or giveaways changed this year? If you do reviews, what do you find works best, and what doesn’t work at all? If you don’t do reviews, is this something you’d like to do more of? What hurdle is getting in your way?

While I occasionally do review items, I have not changed my policy, which is this.

I think giveaways and otherwise getting in bed with product manufacturers is one of the things that's destroyed blogging, especially pet blogging.

8. What’s your best piece of advice for other bloggers?

Write well. Use social media. Stop giving crap away and trying to monetize your blog and forget SEO. Be passionate. Have opinions. Fact check what you write. Ask people you blog about to comment for your story.

9. What goals do you have for your blog in 2015?

To blog.

10. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one challenge you’re having with your blog, what would it be?

Come to my house and hold me hostage until I blog something.

Comments

[Vicky]

Love this. Look forward to reading you in 2015.

[Pamela]

Just wanted to tell you how much I appreciated your post on rescue group surviving without adoption fees.

I've worked for nonprofits my entire life. And it is just as challenging to get nonprofits to open their eyes to a new way of thinking as it is for profit companies. Only the rescues don't have reserves to fall back on.

Perhaps the key would be some major outreach program that would encourage development and marketing professionals to volunteer with rescues. It could be a game changer.

[melf]

When should I be over? I have always enjoyed your honest, no-nonsense style and your great writing. If it requires hostage-taking, so be it.

I agree with you on SEO and product reviews and the rest. I am not the world's greatest writer, certainly nowhere close to you, but I do enjoy it and I hope that writing will make me a better writer.

Kind of impressed you participated this year. Now I am off to read your favorite post. It is a great question. Can they survive without the fees?

[Amy@GoPetFriendly]

Come to your house and hold you hostage until you blog? Be careful what you ask for ... I live in an RV after all. I can make that happen! LOL ;-)

Seriously though, thanks so much for joining the Challenge. It was great to see your answers to the questions, and I wish you a prolific 2015!

[one person's view]

It's heartening to hear someone say "Forget SEO." I learned to write before the Internet, when style and content were all a writer had, and I'm too old to change.

Have a great year in 2015!