How does a site make it into my Weblogs I Read link list?

Friends

This is the easiest way because I’m definitely going to read up on what my friends have to say. At the same time though, my friends can’t have a garbage site and expect me to visit often.

Design

You must have a good design. I don’t want to see 20 different colors of text. I don’t want red Xs for broken images. I don’t want to see yellow text on a white background. Your design doesn’t have to knock my socks off, but it must be easy on the eyes.

Regular Updates

You should update on a regular basis. I don’t want to come to your site and find that you haven’t posted in weeks. How boring is that?!? Everyone has something to say, especially those of us with blogs. Your audience is waiting, so just say it. I may from time to time frequent a site that doesn’t update regularly, but for this to happen, is has to be worth my time (see next item).

Content

The most important part of a blog is the content. I don’t visit a site just to look at all the pretty colors. I click on your link for something to read. What I read better keep my interest or your site doesn’t have a chance. What keeps my interest? Well…I generally like blogs that mix it up a bit. Sometimes I visit a site simply because it has a single focus, like technology or sports, but I prefer a little more. I like to read things that interest me combined with personal posts about the author’s life. I’d like to get to know the writer behind the words. A simple About Me won’t cut it, because those pages are not frequently updated. I want to read about your day at work/school once in awhile. I want to know where you went on vacation and what you did. If I don’t learn anything about you as an author, your site is just another page on the web. It feels more like a community when I can refer to a blog’s author by name.

I just cleaned up my list, so I’m looking for some new content to read. If you think you have what it takes or know a site that might, leave a comment and I’ll check it out.