Blogging and Social Networking Goals for 2011

When I look back on 2010, I am reminded that it was the year that I decided to jump into social networking and blogging.  This blog, The Art of Education, launched in July, 2010.  Between September and October, I created my professional Facebook page and also opened a Twitter account.  My expectations for each of these mediums were limited to hoping that someone out there finds a few things that I have to say helpful and interesting enough to revisit and recommend to others.

Now that 2010 is closing and I am staring at my first full year as a blogger, booker, and tweeter, I am both humbled and energized by the responses to my attempts to help.  Here are a few items that give me assurance that my time is being well spent.

• The Art of Education, in 6 short months, has been visited by readers in 17 countries and 5 continents.  Page views are approaching 1,500 for just over 100 posts.
• Facebook ‘likes’ are hovering around 50.
• Twitter followers are around 40.
• #edleaders Twitter chat sessions have begun and have just started to gain a small following.

With these in mind, what goals do I have for The Art of Education, etc. for 2011?  Keeping my own advice about goal setting in mind, here are a few:

• Write no less than 150 blog posts this year.
• Perform at least one informal research project about which I can report in The Art of Education.
• Seek at least three total opportunities to do any of the following: be a guest blogger on another site, submit offer to lead a session(s) at an educational conference, perform a professional development service at a school other than the one which I am employed.
• Increase my Facebook ‘likes’ to no less than 100.
• Attract no less than 60 additional Twitter followers.
• Develop the #edleaders Twitter chat into a more engaging and stimulating experience with multiple #edleaders followers.
• Encourage and mentor no less than 6 “un-networked” colleagues open a Twitter account and/or begin blogging.

Thank you all for a great 2010, and what is sure to be a wonderful 2011.