Joyfully Retired

I really like the idea of doing this project and I know good projects require goals. But, there is a part of me that is cringing at the thought of doing this. I think of all those years of reading goal-setting books, writing mission statements, developing plans for managing-by-objectives or whatever the latest buzz word was – Aaaahhgg! I actually taught people how to do this stuff and I’m rebelling at the thought of writing a few goals for my blog? I’m actually procrastinating on this post!

I’m retired, why am I doing this work? Because it ‘s not work. Writing this blog has been pure fun, a joy. It’s opened a door in my brain and in my soul that’s been closed for a while.  I’ve “met” and “talked” with people I never would have without this blog. This blog has stirred up a huge pot of creativity in me that’s just bubbling over and ready to be served. And, I do have a strong desire to improve my blog and make it successful. So, why not write down a few of those plans for improvement? Get on with it. Okay, I’m ready  now.

The purpose of my blog:

To write and share the things a retired person – me – is interested in and the things I am doing. I will speak only for myself, not as a spokesperson for the retired community. I will speak in a positive voice – no whining or complaining. (Ah, discount the paragraphs above.)

I will speak about the topics that interest me: reading books and talking about books , food – it’s preparation and consumption, favorite places we’ve been, people, movies and TV, music, knitting, RV life, and thinking about the good old days.

What are my desired results?

Using some of the questions laid out by Visionary Blogging, I’m organizing my desired results into the following:

• content: I’m going to stick with the topics I stated above although I will remain open to adding new topics if they fit my main purpose. I will evaluate weekly whether my blog is unique, creative, and meeting my purpose. I will also work to improve the overall writing content. 
• design: Even though my blog is only two months old, it needs to be “redecorated”. I want it to be a fun and relaxing place to visit, where people feel like staying for a while. I need to dress up the sidebar and figure out how to put buttons, badges and other fun things there. It can be done. I will just have to figure out how. I will experiment with themes and other technical things until I get it to look the way it looks in my head.
• community: I will expand my friendships by being a better blog friend: commenting on blog posts I read, responding to comments people make on my blog, encourage and appreciate bloggers who sponsor memes and carnivals, and join groups such as Library Thing or GoodReads. I also want to sponsor a meme or a carnival or a give-away in 2009.
• traffic: I don’t know anything about building traffic but I will research it and learn. I do know how to get my daily and weekly numbers and have been recording them for analysis. 
• RSS or e-mail subscribers: I will figure out how to do this, technically. It is so rewarding to have readers and I’d like to cultivate regular visitors. 
• search engines: WordPress is good about telling me daily what search terms are being used to come to my blog. I’ve been recording those terms and will analyze what’s working and what’s not. 

Whew – I always liked it when the goals are done. However, I know the important part is ahead of me. Writing goals won’t do any good if I don’t do them. I’ve set aside time on my calendar to begin implementing the things I have promised myself. Follow my progress in the weeks ahead and let me know what you think. I value your opinion.