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Find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
7. Be friendly and accessible.
Get Twitter. Respond to comments and emails. Leave good, quality comments on other blogs. Make friends and link to people.
8. Be prepared for the haters.
Don't allow anonymous comments or get formspring unless you can handle it. I allowed anonymous comments for a while and usually got a few less than kind comments every week (I finally disallowed anonymous commenting after a day full of crazy spam). People get mean when they're hiding behind their computer screens and it can take a while to develop a thick skin. Don't open that door unless you're ready.
If the mean comments do come, try to keep in mind that they don't matter much. I've decided that the people who leave mean comments are 1. Those girls who were mean in high school and still haven't grown up. They're like female Uncle Ricos trying to relive their queen bee glory days (in which case you can pity them) or 2. People who are insecure (in which case you can pity them).
9. Be gracious.
You are most likely an adult (I do have a few teenage readers. Hi girls! This still applies to you). You know how to interact with people in a polite and kind manner, yes? Do so.
Be humble. Be friendly and helpful when people e-mail you. I've had occasion to e-mail other bloggers with questions and it always blows me away when I receive short, terse replies (one time I got a one word reply and a link. No greeting, no signature, nothing. Made me feel really stupid). On the other hand, getting a kind, thoughtful reply from a blogger you respect just makes you like them more.
10. Be prepared for the time suck
Blogging can be like a full time job that doesn't pay you anything. If you're not writing a post or tweaking your design you can be leaving comments on other people's blogs or reading articles about blogging. There's ALWAYS something you can be doing on or for your blog.
Some people have the time and want to spend it on their blogs and that's fine! I do not have that time. I set myself a blogging time limit and I stick to it (these posts took me like 5 days). It's easy to get sucked in so set limits for yourself if you need them.
Fellow bloggers- anything to add?