Every blog has an author and here we talk to six experts who give an insight into what makes a successful blog.

Simon Cook
Made in England byGentlemen
www.made-in-england.org
Most of the blogs I read, and my own included, are written by a single person with a particular or even peculiar interest. It’s that personal way of seeing the world that gives the blog its character. Don’t try to write for an audience, just write for yourself. That honestly will come through and earn you the loyalty of regular readers.

James Davidson
We Heart Stuff
www.weheartstuff.co.uk
First and foremost, it is essential that you are writing about something you have a passion for. If you don’t eat it and sleep it, how are you going to bring yourself to write posts when you’re feeling ill or just a bit lazy? Make it look good, and blog with plenty of images. You’ve got to get the attention of impatient web users within seconds. Don’t get too bogged down fussing over your stats and wasting time social networking. You can find some websites that are relevant to your subject matter and put the word out, but if you use your time writing good, quality, well-thought-out content, then the hits will start coming.

Marie January Cavan
Dawghouse Design Studio
www.dawghousedesignstudio.com
We all have our favorite blogs to visit, depending on whatever interests we have. Sure, if we find a post interesting then we read through it, but what defines a great blog? For me, blog design should be creative, eye-catching and unique. It should be clean, have a coherently structured mark-up, cross-browser compatible and have high usability. The content should be engaging; photos, videos and intriguing headlines can be used for further enhancement. These are the factors that make a blog great, the effect of which is inspiration for people to create their own blogs.

Larissa Meek
Larissa Meek’s blog
www.larissameek.com
A blog can stand out from the crowd by creating its own brand. This brand should be carried over into other social spaces, such as Twitter and Facebook ,via avatars for instance. Good design does not compete with the content. However, it should leave a mark on the visitor’s memory. A good blog uses the typographer’s scale consistently allowing headlines to ‘pop’. Branding is more than just visual design. It is also about the blog’s voice, which should include unique and consistent content. This includes attention-grabbing headlines. Most importantly, a good blog incorporates ad space sparingly. Nothing looks worse than a blog with ads in every piece of white space.

Vitaly Friedman
Smashing Magazine
www.smashingmagazine.com
A good blog is a blog that meets its readers’ expectations. It helps to discover new perspectives, learn new techniques, explore new insights or find useful instruments for their work. To be successful, offer useful and innovative content. Be patient and curious. Work harder than the others and never compromise the quality of your posts. Your readers will be grateful for your hard work and they will come back. And that’s what makes a blog good in the first place.

Veerle Pieters
Veerle’s blog
http://veerle.duoh.com
For me personally, a good blog makes you want to start your own blog. I like to know a bit more about the person behind it and what makes him or her tick. The layout and content must be interesting enough to make me want to explore it deeper. It doesn’t always need to be educational, but if it is, all the more reason to stay. Now about the pitfalls: the biggest hurdle that comes with blogging are comments. You have to be prepared for some of the nasty stuff that people will say eventually. The more popular you get, the higher the nastiness will go.