15 scoble-ific ways to a killer blog

Robert and Maryam Scoble gave a great standup session at Blog Business Summit. They profess to be doing the presentation together as couples therapy, but their love for each other really shows through as they entertain us with the following pointers (their preso is illustrated by the talents of Hugh MacLeod at gapingvoid.com)

1. Blog because you want to ... it'll show through in your writing.
   
2. Read other blogs ... know who's out there and know how to find the thing that'll distinguish you from everyone else.
3. Pick a niche you can own (be different) ... and it doesn't matter if you're "late to the game" (see TechCrunch, a latecomer) if you're good.
4. Link to other blogs ... the reason it works is that it shows others have your attention (and paves the way in kind).
5. Admit mistakes ... people will keep piling on until you take the time to admit your mistake. Short-circuit the (usually profanity-laced) cycle earlier than later.
   
6. Write good headlines ... don't be cute, be relevant. It'll pay off in the search results and RSS aggregators.
7. Use other media ... it's no longer just about text. Add in photos, or a podcast or a video blog. Again, another great differentiator. (people read online 30% slower than on paper, and pictures help break up the rivers of text).
   
8. Have a voice ... let people see you as a human, not just a "facts, ma'am" delivery of content.
9. Get outside the blogosphere ... yes, connecting online is nice, but it's NEVER enough. The relationships you see online likely were started (or stoked) offline.
10. Market yourself ... don't link to the web site, link to the blog.
11. Write well ... before you publish, read it again, check your spelling, check your state of mind, check your state of heart, make sure you really want to hit "publish" so the rest of the world can see. Write short paragraphs, put the most important info up front.
12. Expose yourself ... (not that way, unless you really want that kind of traffic).
    
13. Help other people blog ... get them into the tools, teach them the metaphor, share what you've learned and build the community.
14. Engage with commenters ... participate in the conversation, not just on your own blog, but elsewhere (remember it's not all about you).
15. Keep your integrity ... you are what you appear to be. Disclose your influences. Don't try to hide what you are or who you are.

Update: Pat McCarthy's got a great parallel post of this (replete with picture of the Scobles) over on ConversionRater.