So I’ve been more than a little MIA from this blog, but I’m almost completely ready to dive back into the swing of things and get to posting regularly again!
Before I do, however, I’ll need a little favour from you all!
What do I need? I’d like you to take to the comments section and list your favourite pet blogs!
And yes, I said pet blogs, so this includes fish, hamster, dog, cat, ferret – whatever kind of pet blogs you know and love!
If you’d like to jump ahead and do that, go right ahead! If you’re curious to know why I’d like to have this list, keep reading!
While I was gone, I had the idea to create a new pet website specifically to promote other pet bloggers.
Is this a new idea? No, definitely not, but websites like Cat Blogosphere – well I’ve always felt really appreciative of their existence, considering they helped me:
- Find other amazing cat bloggers!
- Promote my own website when KittyClysm was just a baby site.
I felt like I really wanted to help pet bloggers promote, but in my own way, and the way I thought up (so I wouldn’t be copying what was already out there) was to create the Supawstars website.
(Psst – this turned out to be a long post. Just want the gist of things? Scroll down to the TL;DR section at the bottom!)
What Is Supawstars & How Does It Promote Pet Bloggers?
Supawstars is currently my way of doing what sites like Cat Blogosphere already do so well – showing off amazing pet sites and the pawsome blog posts on them, that deserve all the eyeballs they can get! But you already got that from my previous spiel, so let’s get into how Supawstars site does this!
Right now, there are four parts to the Supawstars website that all work toward this end goal of promoting pet bloggers:
1. The Supawstars Pet Directory
Where pet bloggers can upload a couple pictures and a description of their blogs so others looking for pet blogs to follow can then find them. I used to browse KittySites.com for blogs to follow before I found Cat Blogosphere, back when I was a newbie blogger, so I’ve always found these types of listings/directories helpful personally. I have different sections for the type of pet, and for the type of site (so that shelters, YouTube Channels, stores, and other pet sites can apply if they want to).
I’m hoping that this part of the website helps me become more aware of new pet blogs that have just started out, because if they do what I did when I started my site, they’ll Google “pet blog directory” so that they can sumit their site to some. I’m hoping they’ll end up on my page so they can get a quick and easy feature. We all know directories aren’t a great source of traffic and eyeballs in the long run, but every little bit helps, and with my knowledge of the existence of these new or smaller sites, I can then…
2. The Supawstars Top Pet Sites Lists
…create top site lists! I know these are often very popular in Google with those browsing for new and interesting content to read. I’ve used them myself on many occasions. So with some research, and through learning about even more sites through the submissions to the Supawstars Pet Directory, I can make a tonne of different “top pet site” lists that will hopefully get even more eyeballs to all the pet blogs that deserve them!
Right now I have 2 top site pages technically made, but I haven’t populated them, which is why I need your help finding amazing pet blogs – to add to these top site lists. I browsed through a lot of other top site lists and I don’t like the fact that many of the pet blogs on them are more like pet magazines. I love Catster as much as the next gal, but I want to feature more personal, pet photography and story-centric pet blogs, the kinds that are not often featured as heavily in top lists – they deserve the spotlight, too!
Of course the fact that they aren’t featured as often makes them a bit harder to find, but it’s completely doable, especially with sites like Cat Blogosphere in the mix and because I know if given enough time, I can find some great sites just by browsing through the comments sections of some of the most popular pet blogs in our community. You guys are great at engaging, and that makes stumbling on your amazing sites so much easier!
Nothing, however, is easier than finding amazing sites by recommendation, or by someone flagging my attention with a directory submission, so long-term, I’m hoping this is the only way I’ll need to find new pet bloggers to feature! Though of course I’ll always passively be on the lookout, too!
Right now I’ve just got the 15 blogs I nominated for the Blogger Recognition Award up (between my top cat & top dog blog top lists), but with your help, I’m hoping to really populate these top lists with some amazing pet blogs that truly deserve it. Yes, I know of so many other blogs already that deserve to be up on those lists, but if you’d like to be featured or you know of a pet blogger who should be featured, please leave that comment down below to tell me anyway. Don’t be shy, I really don’t want to leave anybody out, and with lists like this, sometimes it happens regardless of how hard you try to include everybody.
3. The Supawstars Feed Spotlight Front Page
I love commenting on pet bloggers’ posts, but I hate using feed readers like Feedly to browse through new posts. It always feels just a little bit slow, when I just want to click on the links from the most recent 24 hours and get to reading & commenting!
This homepage fixes that issue for me, because I can use it on the day to browse through posts by title, just click on a link, go back to the Supawstars front page (visited links are another colour so I can keep track), and continue to comment to my heart’s content on as many pet blog posts as I can. I don’t know if anyone else will find this useful, but on the off chance any of you do, it’s there, and regardless, I feel like it’s a nice extra addition to the healthy promotion of pet blogger posts, since someone who accidentally comes across the site might see an interesting title and *click!* there you go, another page view! 🙂
Well that’s the hope at least. You don’t automatically get into the feed, it’s a separate thing from the directory and I have to manually add your feed, but once I do add your RSS feed, you don’t have to do a thing. Each time you publish a new post it’s automatically promoted on the front page! So sort of like Cat Blogosphere in that it features posts, but different since you don’t have to add your link each time you publish, if that makes sense.
4. The Supawstars Spotlight Award
What this is: a pet blogger award that one pet blogger will give another.
Now, I had the idea to make this section last minute, and I have no idea if anybody will find it useful or decide to give away this award, but I know I will even if nobody else does.
I really enjoyed giving the Blogger Recognition Award away and I was thinking of how I could sort of make a recognition award myself that I could do around once a month, to keep moving the spotlight onto other pet bloggers who really deserve to be seen. The Supawstars Spotlight Award fixes this for me, ’cause I can give it away regularly and not feel too overwhelmed.
Basically the gist of giving it away – it goes out to 5 bloggers (unlike the Blogger Recognition Award which was 15!). Alongside the feature is a short (or long!) write up describing why I think each site has earned the spotlight. Then once the post is published, I go comment on these bloggers’ sites to let them know I’ve given them the award. It’s my idea of the perfect award to give away regularly because:
- Finding 5 bloggers to show off each time is a lot less overwhelming than finding 10 or 15. The first time is fine for giving away 15, but doing it once a month while trying to make sure each time that I haven’t previously given it to the same blogger: that’s my idea of a nightmare after the 1 or 2 year point! Not cool!
- I feel like if you give an award to too many blogs, those reading your entry get overwhelmed and won’t bother looking at each one. It’s much better, I think, having an award go out only to 5 – as I’m pretty sure any reader would take a peek at every blog handed the spotlight that way.
- Writing the description of why I like a blog is an important aspect of giving away blogger awards to me. I’ve always felt that when you give a blog award to someone, you should do so while also describing what you see in their site, and not just throw it on a list like the Blogger Recognition Award had me do. Means more, I think. Otherwise you end up with just a top list rather than a more meaningful award.
So yup – even if no one else gives away this award, I guess that page is up there for me 😉 . If you care to give away the Supawstars Spotlight Award, however, feel free, and definitely drop me a comment to let me know you’ve done it! After all, discovering more interesting pet blogs really helps me out in the whole creating-top-lists department! 🙂
TLDR;
- The Supawstars Pet Directory: Just your run of the mill pet directory. Using the submissions I get here, I add sites to section #2 & section #3 of the site.
- The Supawstars Top Pet Sites Lists: “Best Cat/Dog/Hamster/Etc. Blogs” lists so I can show off some of the best of the industry. Recommend blogs (you can recommend yourself) in the comments below!
- The Supawstars Feed Spotlight Front Page: A feed showcasing featured pet bloggers’ posts published within the past 24 hours. Makes browsing through posts to comment on easier for me!
- The Supawstars Spotlight Award: Blog award given from pet bloggers to pet bloggers – in case anybody wants to hand over their own spotlight to any of their fafurrite pet bloggers!
In Conclusion
This was one hell of a long post, and if you read it – thank you & so sorry it was so long! But I wanted to introduce the site as comprehensively as possible and this loooong description is what resulted!
If you can think of other creative ways I can promote pet bloggers on this new site, please let me know! I may end up opening a “blog” section for it, but definitely not yet, as I’m not sure about the kinds of posts I would make.
Interested in having your site featured in the Supawstars Pet Directory? Click here to submit it. Have a YouTube pet channel as well? Submit it separately! Looking forward to seeing that directory fill up! 🙂
Now get to recommending your pet blogs & the blogs of pet bloggers you love in the comments, so I can use them to create the top lists! List as many as you’d like – don’t hold back!
Alexis says
Favorite blogs are: Way of Cats; GloGirly; The Conscious Cat; Mochas, Mysteries & Meow; Mousebreath; Sparklecat.com Featuring Summer; Covered in Cat Hair; Cats Heard You; Why Cat Why; The Island Cats; I Have Cat; Come Curl Up With My Cats; The Catington Post,; Old Cats Rule; Life With Cats; Crazy Cat Lady Committee; Texts From Mittens; Cat Lady Confidential; Cat Chat With Caren & Cody; Crazy Cat Person Club; Sandpiper Cat Blog; I Heart Cats; Cat Lady Alley.., Wow, I follow a lot of blogs!
Elise Xavier says
Thank you SO much for this list, Alexis 🙂 Couldn’t be more helpful! 🙂
The Island Cats says
We follow LOTS of blogs! So we’re not sure what we should do here. But we’ll give ourselves a shout out as a pet blog!
Elise Xavier says
Oh please, like I could ever forget you guys ;). Y’all are already up on both the front page and the top cat blogs list 😉 But thank you for pitching in ! And for the great content of course 🙂
Brian Frum says
Dang, I think I follow over 400 blogs although I’m not sure since I just deleted some who gave it up.
Elise Xavier says
Wow! That’s a very big list! Do you subscribe by email or by feed reader? If you subscribe by feed reader, would you be willing to export your list & email it to me so I can take a peek?
NancyG says
I’m not sure what to do either….. I have never blogged before. I have 5 crazy kitties, so I have lots of stories about them ……
Elise Xavier says
Hiya Nancy! If you don’t have a blog and don’t read many blogs besides this one, this post is definitely not the most relevant to you.
Would love to hear the stories about your crazy kitties, though! Was actually thinking of starting up a site for those without blogs who are happy to share some stories about their cats every once in a while – let me know if you’re willing to share!
caren gittleman says
Great idea!!! That is a TON of info though and we are not quite sure what we should do……….basically, we pretty much follow everyone (including you, but we do not think that you follow us lol), that posts their links on the Cat Blogosphere. FYI the Cat Blogosphere doesn’t pick up our links, WE put them there if we want to share a post. I follow over 300 cat and dog blogs that I love, so it is impossible to list them all here. So, we are going to share ourselves! We are Cat Chat With Caren and Cody.
Elise Xavier says
I definitely need to update my blogs-I’m-following list (I’m not just behind on posting, I’m behind on EVERYTHING this month, it’s REALLY bad!!), but I was hoping to update “my list” so to speak on the Supawstars back end so I can see new links automatically front page, which is much easier for me than a feed reader. I will of course add your blog to the homepage feed so I can keep track of your new posts! 🙂
Yes definitely we put our links on Cat Blogosphere, which is why this is a bit different; this way is automatic once your feed is added on my end.
I wonder – would you be game for sharing your list of blogs you read with me by attaching them to an email? If you use a feed reader and there’s an export button, I’d love to see who you have on your list! Pawesome bloggers like you tend to have great taste in other blogs 😉 If it’s too much trouble or you use email so can’t get a list in a few clicks, don’t worry ’bout it. I’m sure I’ll easily be able to find some great blogs through your blog hops!