I'm an Amateur

Hi, I'm Kathy and I'm an amateur blogger.

I often wish I was a pro.  But I'm not.  The scant statistics here show that only a tiny handful of friends and family ever visit to see what I have to say.  On one hand this is depressing.  On the other it's kind of freeing.  As a professional blogger I'd be tied to one niche to maximize sponsorships and advertising.  As an amateur I can post about whatever my heart desires here for just the pure pleasure of putting thoughts into words.  But then again as a professional, I'd see an income stream from my efforts while as an amateur I scramble for every dollar.  It's a trade off that sometimes works for me and sometimes doesn't quite so much.

Today is a not quite so much day.

And so, to the very few of you who actually do read this, I am posing some questions.  Your answers will determine not only the direction of my blog, but possibly its continuing existence.  I want something tangible for all the effort that's going into it.

• Are the ads between pages relevant?  Or do they just annoy you?
• Have you ever clicked one?
• What type of content/subject matter do you most enjoy reading?
• Would it help you find things if I used Labels?
• Would you be willing to promote it to your friends via email/facebook/twitter/a link on your blog?
• Is blogspot the right medium to continue using?
• Does Google Docs work well for you to download the documents I've posted?

I've spent some time reading today about being a successful professional blogger and some of the activities it takes to get there.  I'm going to try implementing those suggestions for the next month and then assess where things stand.