Megan Taylor has a nice roundup of tips on blogging from various bloggers. #

I think it’s part of the DNA that bloggers write about the craft of blogging every so often (also known as “navel-gazing”). As more and more people become engaged with blogging, it makes sense, I suppose, that the newcomers be brought along by those who’ve been in it a while. #

The keys to me are somewhat summed up in Megan’s own contribution: #

Participate in conversations on related blogs. Start conversations on your own blog. Don’t just post about a story and leave it at that, engage your audience. #

I love comments. Comments mean I’ve done my job as a blogger. Somebody read and was engaged enough to take the time to respond. #

That said, there’s such a thing as being a comment whore, i.e., writing controversially just to goad people to comment. I’m not so sure that’s a good way to build community, except in a few rare cases. #

The only other point I’ll mention is the frequency of “lists” that crops up in the suggestions. I read LOTS of blog posts, and I think I’ll heave my cookies if I see another “top 10 things you can …” or “Five steps to better …” blog post. It’s an old trip of the self-improvement publishing industry, and an annoying tendency among media companies in general (like the “50 most important people in …”) and one I think I’ve managed to avoid for the most part. Perhaps the closest I’ve come is to compile lists of new journalism heroes, but those were in no particular order. #

But just you watch, next week I’ll have a post about the top five best … whatever. #

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