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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  1. Having a blessed year. I am full of hopes and positivity and will continue to spread them all around.
    Yeah Some resolutions which I would never like to break-
    1. Continue expressing my feelings in words.
    2. Spreading positivity and being myself.
    3. Will take each day as new beginning and will never quit.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Olusanya Olugosi
    Though I am just starting, I had had this in mind-to blog on mathematics, spelling and proper behaviour with Nigeria as my focal point, for the past few months. In this new year, 2017, not only will I launch out and try as much as possible to be consistent, but will also keep digging to serve my visitors well and make the blogs globally relevant.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. To make my blog reach more people in hopes of helping them! And to gain more followers! Also in my personal life, start focusing on me more instead of always putting myself on the back burner!

    Liked by 2 people

  5. I want 2017 to be a magical year for me…But who do you think will bring all the magic in my life? I, me & myself 🙂 Therefore I gotta learn to be a Magician….
    I wish to share all the Mantras with my Readers. Trust me…There is no greater joy than ‘giving’ gifts…My gifts will be in the form of ‘knowledge’ for the readers.
    The simple tricks which can make our lives a lot better and happier…If not perfect!!!!
    Wish everyone a very very Happy New Year. Every moment has something to tell us…Teach us… Keep the mind OPEN…And let the Magic begin…
    Loads of love.
    Ms Candid.

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Just started my blog a couple of months back! It’s a relief to pour your heart out and express everything in your mind freely. My goal for my 2017 blogging is to improve my writing, gain support and get more ideas and wisdom from other writers. Have a great 2017!

    Liked by 2 people

  11. Thanks for creating this post! I “started” my blog last year but really did not invest in it. This year, my goal is simple – establish a cadence and stick to it!! Wish me luck!!!

    Liked by 1 person