As a blog, RoleplayingPro has only been around for a couple months. I feel really lucky because we’ve enjoyed some pretty good growth in a short amount of time. And being the New Year, I feel it is time to set the bar higher for 2009. Here are some goals that I have for RoleplayingPro in 2009.

Improved Blog Design – I’m in the process of improving the design for the site. I have some money set aside to really put that plan into action. I know what other roleplaying sites that I like to read, and I know which ones make my eyes bleed. I want to turn RoleplayingPro into one of those sites you go to and think, “Wow, this site is pretty sweet looking.” I was able to do the initial design myself by using a modifiable theme, but in 2009 I want to turn the site into a completely unique and visually appealing site for readers.

More Pictures – This site isn’t too heavy on pictures, yet… I want more pictures and I want them to be high quality. Ideally, I would like to add a gallery for the website where I can post pictures I take that are related to gaming. But also, I want to include more pictures in the articles that are written. Visual aids just make everything so much more appealing, both for gaming and for blogs!

More Quality Content – Right now this site is averaging about three to five posts a week. I’d like to increase the amount of content and the quality of the content. With the addition of John Lewis to RoleplayingPro, I know the amount and quality of the content in going to go up this year. Both of us have a ton of ideas for discussion over the coming months. And I’m hoping that I can keep good quality content coming out for readers every day.

Self-Sustaining – I’ve put a few hundred dollars into hosting the site, getting artwork and a blog theme, and other various costs. I have a few ideas for monetizing the site so it pays for itself, but I don’t want to do it at the cost of whoring out the look and content on the site. Roleplaying isn’t a blog niche you’re going to get rich on, but it would be nice if the site paid for its own expenses.

Intangible Features – So this one will take a little explaining. I call it an intangible feature because I don’t know what it is yet. But this year I would like to add at least one intangible, yet-to-be-determined, feature to the blog. I want to add something that no other blog or website has that is exactly the same. One example would be the DungeonMastering.com DM Tools. That is something that adds value for readers that isn’t necessarily offered somewhere else. I don’t know what this new feature is yet, but I am determined to find it.

Improved Direction – When I decided to start a blog, I actually didn’t know what I wanted to blog about. It pretty much came down to movies, mixed martial arts, or roleplaying. In the end, roleplaying won out because I play every week, I’ve done it for so long, and I actually have an opinion on a lot of roleplaying stuff. Other than that, when I created the site I knew I wanted to talk about being a player, being a game master, and every roleplaying game out there, whether I played it or not. But other than that, I didn’t really give myself direction with the site. So for 2009, I need to create a focused direction for the site so I know what I’m trying to provide for readers, and readers know what to expect with the site.

Increased Readership – RoleplayingPro has a few dozen consistent readers now. This is mostly due to a supportive gaming group, the RPG Bloggers Network, and all the gamers I’ve gotten to know over the Internet. I’d like to turn a few dozen readers into a few hundred readers. My goal for this year is to reach 500 RSS subscribers. I consider this to be the most difficult goal that I have set, but also one that I can easily measure week by week. I keep thinking of the Field of Dreams saying, “If you build it, they will come.” That isn’t exactly true. But, if you build good quality content, a community, and relationship with your readers, I believe they will come.

Some of these goals will be easy to determine if I succeed in accomplishing them. Others will be a little less clear. But these are the goals that I have for RoleplayingPro for 2009. Thank you to everyone who made our first couple months here a success and I’m looking forward to 2009 at RoleplayingPro!