Changes to The Scratching Post for 2007

I've done a series of posts analyzing this blog and it's raison d'etre. Now I plan to make changes to the content.

Our Official Artist had a post recently talking about how he was getting back to his roots in blogging - doing it for fun. I'm going to echo what he said and add some of my own data to support it. Here's what he had to say.

(Forget about blog site) statistics...
In the two years I've had this place, I've made a handful of great connections. Great people that, otherwise, I would have never come across. To me, that's what this whole thing is about. Making connections and having fun.

I'm going to add learning to the list of what blogging is about. The hits don't matter. The links don't matter. It's the effect we have on each others' lives that matters. This post is starting to wander, so I'll cut to the chase. Here are the changes in the Feline Theocracy for 2007.

1. More posts. I want visitors to have more to look through when they come by. Rather than trying to focus on a subject, I plan to be as eclectic as my interests. The message to my readers is, "Come on over. You'll never know what you'll find."


2. Point out cool things I find on the net. I have avoided posts that simply link to others and have tried to do nothing but original material. Why? If one of the benefits of blogging is connections, then connect! If my blogging friends are truly friends, then I should acknowledge their work. It's not hard to do.


3. Less trolling for traffic. Most mornings I sift through the Wall Street Journal looking for articles I think will be popular and blog about them, hoping for that one big strike that will bring hundreds of visitors over from Technorati. Why? I've proven conclusively to myself that this isn't a money maker, but an educational tool. It's time to stop explicitly fishing for visitors.


4. More beauty and kindness. The World of Good (WOG) posts embody my personal philosophy. The world is a wonderful place. Yes, life is very hard sometimes, but even in the rough spots there is a beauty and grace to be found in the courage the people show facing difficulties.


5. More experimentation with web widgets and formatting. I want to use the blog to learn and learning how to express ideas in creative new ways is part of it. I want to play with animations, YouTube videos, interactive entries and more.


6. In short, more fun. There will be the occasional rant, but I'll see if I can rework my writing style into something less abrasive when I criticize things.

One of the things taught in Think and Grow Rich is how to visualize your perfect future as a means of achieving it. I've got a vision for the way this blog looks, feels and interacts with my friends and we'll see what we can do to get there.