Your questions answered!

A few days...err weeks...ago I posted about achieving 500 followers.  It's such an exciting milestone!  I opened the floor to questions from you, my fabulous readers and some of you decided to take me up on that opportunity.

Amy asked: what are your goals for 2012?

I didn't really write down any concrete goals this year.  I feel I'm perhaps not finished with 2010...it was such a good year!  Ultimately to continue with my business, Royal Ribbons, and learn more about the committees I am on.  The usual 15lbs I have wanted to lose since 2007 and perhaps to dust off my eliptical machine.  I also want to redecorate my living room to make it more feminine and light and the basement has to be completed in the next few months.  Seriously.  It shouldn't take more than a year to renovate a basement.  Yes, the Suburban Prince does read my blog.  Mmmmm hmmm.  And just more of the same!  Lots of fun times with the Little Prince, more lunches, teas, events, reasons to dress up...and, I need to find a navy blazer.

Adrienne asked: How far in advance you plan your blog posts? Or do you create them on the fly?

Very occasionally I write a post right off the top of my head and publish it the same day.  99% of the time I took the picture a month ago, edited it last week, wrote the skeleton at the weekend and yesterday was inspired to finish it.  I like things to fester a bit.  Jung had it right when he talked about Synchronicity - all I need to do is think about say.... a RL sweater, and suddenly I see them being blogged, advertised and for sale everywhere.  My posts develop over time as I gather information and ideas.  Sometimes I ask other bloggers to comment on my thoughts and ideas as well but that's just for my serious posts, and it takes them time to form their thoughts.  I had my recent Downton post sitting in my drafts for months as I knew it would make more sense last week.


About Last Weekend asked:   I must try much harder to up my followers. what are your tips?

This is a tough question.  I see so many blogs that attract thousands of followers and hundreds of comments and honestly, I don't get it sometimes.  Then other blogs are well written, easy on the eyes, funny and everything else one would want in a blog and yet they don't have much of a following.

I think the key is interaction.  Comment on lots of blogs and hopefully they will follow and comment back.  If they dont, that's ok, just move on to blogs who will share the relationship.  Also, when doing a giveaway...make one of the stipulations be they have to be a follower in order to win.

I am more concerned about comments than followers.  I would love to have lots of comments on my posts as it's sometimes a bit sad to see a post has been viewed 100 times but there are only 5 comments.  It's nice to see the numbers go up but out of 500 there is a group of maybe 30 who actually comment with any regularity. Perhaps this is a question to turn back to my readers, what would you suggest?

Shelley asked:  what is your first name? Or perhaps I should ask, how do you wish to be addressed...Your Royal Highness? 

In the blogisphere I go by SP but Your Royal Highness works for me too!  I keep identifying details of my life confidential on here so that I can continue to write about the lunatics in my life without anyone knowing for sure who did the writing!  There are a good number of bloggers who know me by my first name as we are Facebook friends but I also know their names, addresses, shoe size etc.  And I know they aren't anyone I know in real life.  It's not that I want to be super anonymous and never tell anyone who I am, but how can I write about Rude Mom and her cheating husband if I think she can connect me to my blog?  My real life people dont know about my blog and if they do they aren't letting on!  Certainly I'm not going to tell my inlaws about it...or my parents!  I would have too start a whole new blog to write about that sort of insanity!



Thank you for your wonderful questions!  I will do it again when I hit my 500th post!


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Have a fabulous day!