Bloggiesta: Setting Goals

This "assignment" comes from The Book Lady's Blog and is a really good one for me. I don't have a huge amount of time this weekend (24 hours, but that includes some sleeping, which I will not sacrifice), but know if I set blogging goals I will continue to work on them past this weekend. So, without further ado... (addition to post: I am reading other bloggers' goals and adding some ideas)

1. Change my layout. I like what I have now, but it isn't really "me". I'd like to change the colors, make the background simpler, and add a navigation bar at the top: About, Reviews by author, reviews by title, reviews by genre, Contact, Challenges, Contests, Awards, Interviews
2. Write an About Me post
3. Figure out how to make post templates for It's Monday!, Tuesday Teaser, Friday Fun, and my book reviews
4. Add an explanation of my rating system
5. Add a "back to the top" button (thanks Neverending Shelf)
6. Create a blog button
7. Create a gravatar (I've seen this on a few blogs so am going to check out what it is)--oh, I already have something like this, I just didn't call it a gravatar. So, that was easy.
8. Add tags to book reviews related to my rating system and update my blog roll (got this idea from Debbie's World of Books)
9. Figure out how to see stats about my blog...anyone have suggestions?
10. Learn how to re-post a post when it's updated, meaning it would show up at the top of my blog, not back where it originally was posted.
11. An obvious goal is to increase followers, but in the last few days I joined Book Blogs and I've added 15 new Google Friends, so I think I am going in the right direction on that.  I also "push" my posts to Twitter (though I never check it, bad blogger, bad blogger) and Facebook
12. Go to Website Grader and see how I do (I am VERY SCARED to do this)--it could have been worse, but I don't even know what some of it means (alt on images and metadata)
13. I am putting on a California Read-A-Thon for California schools (April 16 and 17, 2010) and want to make that blog a 3-column, email people within the California School Library Association system to advertise the event, and create a prize post

Participate in the Bloggiesta mini-challenges:

• Sign up to participate in the Bloggiesta!
• Rebecca from The Book Lady's Blog: 2010 goals
• Pam from MotherReader: Comment Challenge
• Danielle from There's a Book: Saving time
• Pam from Bookalicio.us: blog copyright
• Beth from Beth Fish Reads: using categories and lables
• Jackie from Farm Lane Books: backing up your blog
• Karin from Karin's Book Nook: dead link hunt
• Chelle from Tempting Persephone: showing off the best of the best
• Kristen from Bookworming in the 21st Century: introducing mentoring program (Bloggie Cult)
• Jenn from Jenn's Bookshelves: brainstorming topics