Blogging has evolved into a small but powerful force in cyberspace. Harnessing this force is more difficult than one would expect, and this is due to the great variety of Blogs. It is not like an entrepreneur can devise a plan to utilize blogging in a business plan and expect it to succeed. Motivating bloggers is like herding cats.

Blogs are not usually started with a conscious goal. Bloggers are not coldly rational businessmen. Blogs are not read to simply acquire information. Blogs, in short, are not work related.

Blogs are driven by passion.

I've seen the blogs with the scan of a Google check proving some blogger made thousands of dollars. Bloggers, though, seldom make much money and blogs started with the express intent to generate income are generally failures.

The blogs that are read are the blogs that inspire passion. The blogs that inspire passion are written with passion. Blogging is not a mechanical process where a blogger can follow a dozen simple steps and create a blog that people will read. Good blogs are written by people who deeply care about their subject matter and who can translate their care into exciting blog entries.

For a blog to be successful, it must have a new entry every day or so. Readers do not return to a static page more than a few times, but a reader will bookmark a blog that has a unique and interesting entry posted on a regular basis. For a blogger to come up with an interesting entry every day or so, the blogger must feel passion for his entries. It is too much trouble to find a boring entry for a boring blog on a regular basis.

If a blogger feels strongly about something, no matter how silly, stupid or odd, there is a certainty that there are several thousand people who also feel strongly about the same stupid, silly or odd stuff. It is just a matter of time before all these people find each other. The internet is so large and Googling is so powerful that it would be impossible to keep them apart.

There is no secret formula. There is no methodology that makes blogs good. There is just passion and a willingness to communicate that passion.

If you have any ideas or clues as to what makes a good blog. You can enter the Chitika Blogpreneur Contest by creating a blog entry and putting the badge below on your blog.

The Chitika Blog » The TiECON/Chitika Blogpreneur Contest 2008