Dec 28, 2016 / Beginner

A Glimpse into 2017: You and Your Site in the New Year (Part II)

Bloggers share their resolutions and plans for 2017.

Yesterday on WordPress Discover, we asked writers, photographers, artists, poets, and business and website owners: what’s in store for you — and your site — in 2017? In this second post of our Resolutions series, more members of the WordPress.com community share their goals for the new year.

Kelly Heapy, travel blogger, Compass & Camera

Kelly from Compass & Camera at Mount Everest.

Kelly from Compass & Camera at Mount Everest.

In 2017, I look forward to expanding the content of Compass & Camera to include a series of posts about my experience of moving and living abroad. From the US to London to Singapore to Vancouver, the past ten years have been an ongoing journey of finding home and finding myself.

I’ll also be telling the story of my grandmother’s trip to Europe in 1972, through her travel diary and postcards — my most cherished keepsakes from her life.

And in 2017, I have two goals. First, I hope to combine my travel experience and design expertise in the first edition of a travel magazine. Secondly, I’ll be collaborating with my husband, a feature film visual effects producer, throughout a journey abroad with 360° content from destinations my followers might never go to themselves. It’s an exciting time to make Compass & Camera more compelling than ever. I hope you’ll follow along!

Cecilia Gunther, farmer, The Kitchen’s Garden

Remember when you had your heart broken for the first time and you knew you would not survive, you would surely die of it, you had made a massive error, your body was doomed to shrivel up, and your mind would turn to dust from loneliness?

So in 2017, I would like to give myself, and my daily farm blog, permission to fail and start each day clean and new.

Then someone said, “Take it one morning at a time. Tomorrow is a new day.”

“What rubbish,” I had thought at the time, clutching at my broken heart.

Of course I took no notice at all — after all my heart was BREAKING. Hullo!

But I did heal. In fact, being human, I healed enough to go on and make many more mistakes. So in 2017, I would like to give myself, and my daily farm blog, permission to fail and start each day clean and new. No more fretting and agonizing over perfection.

If I make a mistake? OK, I’ll fix it. No hiding or pointing or running and screaming in the other direction. I will own the mistake, think on it, then fix it and learn from it.

The learning is the hard part. Wish me luck!

Emily Austin, parenting blogger, The Waiting

My blogging resolution for 2017 is to get active. On November 9, 2016, I woke up at 2:45 am absolutely terrified by the future of America as lead by President-Elect Donald Trump. And in the past weeks since the election, I’ve realized that my fears weren’t unfounded and that I am morally obligated to speak out against the hate-filled, despotic path the United States is now on.

But the blog isn’t about us; in fact, its main virtue will be the voices of others.

My blogging friend Crystal at Broken Condoms and I started talking about what we could do to process our feelings and mobilize ourselves and others into action, and we are excited to launch Equality Diaries early next year. But the blog isn’t about us; in fact, its main virtue will be the voices of others. We’d love for people to get involved and to contact us at equalitydiaries@gmail.com to share their story. We’re looking for posts about how people are promoting kindness, equality, and love during this time when those things seem to be in short supply; we’re especially interested in hearing from parents and ways that they’re raising their children in a culture of love and inclusion.

Andrew Seal, artist, thechangingpalette

Image by Andrew Seal

Image by Andrew Seal

What’s in store for thechangingpalette and me in 2017:

Keep improving and reorganize the blog; it’s time.

Continue to share paintings and palettes from the studio, and become more skilled with the gift of the Four Treasures of The Study.

Create more multimedia posts, including “over my shoulder” videos.

Be grateful for the privilege of freedom, and use the blog, as I have done far too often (Paris, Marseille, Orlando, Brussels, Istanbul, and now Berlin) to express solidarity and sympathy with those suffering the tragedies and horrors that I expect sadly the year will inevitably bring.

Visit more fellow bloggers, and always be grateful to my wonderful followers who continue to amaze me with their own work.

Look forward to Italy later in the year and the photographs and paintings that I know will be inspired by our visit.

Share the joy of our beautiful granddaughter who will be two next year and really is the light of our lives.

Breathe, laugh, love, slow down, take time, and remain ever hopeful.

Happy holidays and Happy New Year to everyone. I look forward to enjoying the fruits of your own blogging resolutions in 2017.

Susan Rushton, writer and gardener

susan-rushton

Susan Rushton at susanrushton.net.

My readers love nature, curiosities, and creativity. They make me laugh. If I let myself fall backwards, outstretched arms will catch me. I thank my lucky stars I’m blogging in this thoughtful community.

I naturally flick between serious and unserious, which can disconcert the most generous of readers, so I’ve tended to hold back. In 2017, I’ll dodge my inner censor long enough to share a few serious ideas you might think are daft. Such as:

  • How Google has broken the internet and personal, curated, Akismet-like search filters could fix it.
  • Why we should talk to other life forms on our own planet before trying to reach aliens (that one’s not rocket science).
  • Why morning toothpaste should be a different formula to nighttime toothpaste.

And I might even write more on world peace.

You know, the obvious things.

Oh, and I’m learning CSS. (Listens for B-52s-like shouts of “You’re WHAT?”) Look out for me in the forums!

What are your blog or website goals for 2017? For more inspiration, visit WordPress Discover, where we’ll share our final post on resolutions next week.

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  2. Happy new year everyone 🙂 I’m excited for what 2017 holds in general but especially in terms of writing and blogging. I am more determined than ever and taking some time out to focus on my writing. Happy blogging!

    Liked by 2 people

  4. As a new and young blogger, I would like to achieve readers onto my blog to see what peoples thoughts are now what I write and to explore the world of blogging! Here’s to 2017, I am excited to see what it holds for me, my family and friends.

    Liked by 2 people

  5. I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing, and that is to provide helpful, useful and effective resources via my blog and directory; which supports my focus on animal and environmental awareness. I am always thinking of ways to improve and increase visitors and do have a few things in mind but I’m going to keep it a secret. You’ll just have to stop by and see what I have to offer.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Well i am that newbie in this vast blogging world who wants to spread her wings of imagination,experience & emotions.I hope 2017 helps me create a bridge so that i get to connect with the various interesting minds and get enlightened.Welcoming all to be a part of my journey of blogging!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Wow, I just published my first blog today, glad to know I’m not the only one, glad to know that many others are starting their journey of blogging with me, all leading to different destinations… Wishing you the best:)

      Liked by 1 person

      2. I’d love to! It’s always better if you have someone to give you advice when you write something that doesn’t make any sense (happens with me all the time 😅😹😅)

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  21. I don’t call mine “resolutions” but rather hopes, dreams or ambitions. And really, all I’m looking forward to is constant self-betterment, continuous journeys of self-discovery and getting to know the world and people around me. The main goal is to focus on the positive aspects of life and learn how to make good of a bad situation.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. 1. Trying to blog more often
    2. Trying to blog even more
    3. Not to stop blogging
    4. And of course reading more books than possible

    Liked by 3 people

  28. This year, I’m going to explore every aspect of life, experience more, learn more, grow as a person, improve my skills and study harder, this year I’ll focus on achieving contentment rather than perfection…

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Fascinating collection of responses – neat idea to ask.
    Have written my own, pretty gloomy, assessment on one of my blogs but hope it is not a product of the January blues. Should carry a warning that it could damage your cheerfulness.

    Liked by 1 person