2013 wasn't bad.  In fact, I got some things done that I had never done before, like publish my first Kindle book.  But I neglected Outdoor Cooking Magic too many times and I'm looking to change that.  So I decided that I would outline some of my plans for 2014.  Any suggestions that you have are welcome!

Here are my thoughts about what I want to do this coming year:

Blog More Consistently

]When I don't get some content out to my readers, I feel like I have let them down.  Content gives me an opportunity to tell you about some of the things that I am doing and trying, to tell you about cool things that I have found on the Internet related to outdoor cooking, and to build a community.  I am looking to do this multiple times a week now.   I had several months last year where I shared things with you, but several months (as in most of the first half of the year) where I didn't share anything.  That has to change.

I do find it challenging to regularly have recipes that I've tried and want to share.  There are times when my recipes just don't turn out, which leaves me with little to talk about (unless you want to hear about failures!).  So I've decided to continue some things I've done in the past, but not been consistent with, and to introduce some new things that will be fun, and provide you with some great information.  Some of those are listed below.

Interact With Other Outdoor Cooking Related Blogs

There are so many great blogs out there that talk about outdoor cooking in a variety of ways.  I'm planning on featuring one of them on a regular (monthly?) basis.  That might include an interview with the blog owner, or just a collection of some of my favorite posts from their site.  It will give me a chance to introduce you to some blogs that I follow and hopefully give me an opportunity to personally interact with some of those great cooks.

Restart the Question of the Month

A couple of years ago, I started sending out a question of the month to my email subscribers (if you haven't subscribed yet, you can subscribe here).  I got some great answers back, and started writing posts to share their answers.  But I wasn't consistent.   So I'm going to get those answers queued for to go out on the first of the month for the rest of the year.  I have over 2400 people on my list right now!  I know that there are some experts among those that have some great information they can share.  So I'm going to ask them to do just that and share their answers with you.

Make More, But Better Videos

Videos are fun to do, but they take a lot of time.  They are great for communicating with you in a whole different way.  But I think I can do better than in the past.  So I'm looking to change things up a bit and to do a variety of videos.  Mostly short tip related videos, but some longer whole recipe videos.  I plan on posting most of the videos here on Outdoor Cooking Magic, but if you haven't subscribed to my YouTube Channel, make sure you do so that you don't miss them.

Be Much More Active on Social Media

I'm on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest, but I don't regularly interact with everyone there.  That will also be a point of emphasis for me.  I find those platforms fascinating, but don't use them to the extent that I could.  Let's connect on social media and see what we can share.  I would love to have conversations with you there.

Redo the Outdoor Cooking Magic Recipe Sharing Club

Last year I started a recipe sharing club, where I had intended that those that subscribed would send in recipes to share and I would then send them out to all the subscribers.  That quickly died.  I got some recipes in immediately from a number of people, then I was only getting them from one person, and then that stopped.  I'm going to figure out a different way to do this.  Perhaps I'll continue trying to solicit recipes from the group to share.  Perhaps I'll make it a requirement of joining.  Or I might just send out recipes that I like or that I want to try.  I'll be sending an email out to the group soon to get their input, and then make a decision about how to proceed.  If you are in the group, look for that email, and let me know your thoughts and feedback.  If you would like to sign up for the group, you can still do that here.

Create More Products

After publishing my first Kindle book, I have plans for a couple more, plus another one that I'm working on now that I will likely sell directly on my site.  I'd like to get those done in the first half of the year, so I'll be working hard on those.  Kindle books are great, because you can read them on a variety of platforms (you don't have to have a Kindle to read them.  There are free Kindle Readers available for almost any electronic platform from your desktop or laptop to your smartphone to your iPad).  I can make them available for a fairly inexpensive price.  Plus if you are a member of Amazon Prime, you can borrow one Kindle book a month for free, if that book's publisher is participating in the Kindle Lending Library program, which I am (unfortunately, the Lending Library only works if you have an actual Kindle device, and not one of the free readers).  So if you are an Amazon Prime Member, go download Grilled Vegetable Magic now and let me know what you think.

While I have a few other things in mind, that's it for now.  If you have another suggestions of things you would like to see, things that I can do better, or ways that I can help you, please let me know in the comments below or contact me to share your thoughts.