Blogging Resolutions for 2009

In 2009, my blogging goals include...

1. Improve my writing. I really want to make the column over at Rainbow Cincinnati something worth reading and something worth responding to. In that light, I am looking for people to start brutally editing my work... that is, telling me it's crap when it's crap.

2. Sustain 500-600 hits a day. Currently, my mean (350s), median (319), and mode (310's) are all strong in the 300's, which is fantastic. However, I want to bump that number up. A significant portion of my bloggy traffic comes from half-naked pictures of men, which I am A-ok with as I know some of that traffic has translated, in the past, to regular readers. Besides, I like half-naked pictures of men :-).

3. Maintain the 60+ postings a month method. Yea, I know, some people hate it. But I think it's kind of fun, and I think it's kind of become the MO around here -- I wouldn't know how to do it otherwise. I've actually created a fake email address so I can join LGBT and queer listservs so I can start getting more regular news rather than just bumming off other gay bloggers.

4. Keep up my involvement with all the fabulous Cincy Bloggers and Cincy Twitterati. We're all nerds, but they're becoming friends. They've also been very helpful in making sure I maintain my interest in blogging. I think I would have given up on it a long time ago if I didn't get the occasional comment from someone, "I saw that on your blog the other day!!!" (Yea, yea, I like those comments -- thanks to the people in the bars who say the same thing!!!)

5. Use my powers for good. That is, though I am no longer officially affiliated with any activist organization (at least temporarily), I very much want to be in a position to support and promote anything that goes on that I deem important. And that, really, could be anything :-).

6. Become more active in other people's blogs. I'm guilty of wanting more comments but never commenting on anyone else's... I swear I'm reading!!!!

7. Find a layout and a blogroll setup that I'm happy with. The one I have now is better, but it's still not great. It's useful to me, but I see how people could be very annoyed with it when they first arrive on the site.

8. Start finding some more regular series to write in. Right now, I have four series posts going -- the Miss Piggy quotes, Wearing What Wednesday, Gay Movie Review, and Stupid Joke Saturday. I also have a "dead" series known as FAGWATCH (really, I do). I want to have things to fall back on more regularly so that (A) when my brain is dry and I still want to post, I can easily do it; and (B) create series that people know what they are getting into when they open it.

9. Recruit more contributors!!! Currently, we have Cody (aka "The Seeker") who posts and vlogs regularly, and was my first contributor. And we have our newest contributor -- Penny Tration -- the "ugliest drag queen in captivity." Both are amazing and dearly appreciated, but I would like to see more people posting, especially since I'm celibate and sober these days.

And finally...

10. Grow up. Ha! This seems silly, but I'm into my 26th year of life, and I've done the partying and the boozing and the whoring. I love it all, and I have a good time. But I'm starting to crave something a little more. What's funny is that it's still very amorphous. Do I want a relationship? I don't know. Do I want to go and try to save the house that's almost foreclosed on? I'm not sure. Do I want to quit my job and try my hand at freelance writing, or even -- as a new opportunity has made itself possible -- become the midwestern porn king? Meh. I'm not saying by the end of 2009 I'll have all these answers, but ... and this is kind of a personal resolution now too ... I want to start developing the maturity which can help me deal with these questions.

And not in the way that I'm used to -- i.e., snapping my fingers and telling a bitch off. Because that's rarely productive.

So that's blogger resolutions for 2009... and some reality:

That said, here's to a better year. Happy New Year.