What makes a GOOD blog ?

Or, why do we read the blogs we read ?

Things seem to be a little slow in the blogsphere lately (summer vacations ? US election meltdowns ?), so I've been thinking about why I have some blogs on my favorites list and read them on a fairly regular basis (rather than blogs that I view occasionally). What makes them interesting enough to visit several times a week, if not daily ?

The answer. I think there are several things that make me want to put a blog on my reading radar:

1. Blogs that talk about things that are completely outside my personal knowledge. Examples: the conservative Jwish woman who writes about her life - I found it on an index of Jewish blogs - I was looking up some obscure term.

2. Blogs that talk about things that I'm interested in, but they do a much better job. Examples: the Recumbent Blog, Valley Wag.


Of course, I drop blogs that aren't updated frequently. "Frequency" may depend on the topic -- there just aren't that many exciting events happening in the world of biking and recumbents to warrant a daily post. Even computer and technology daily blogs can boring on a daily basis. Better to take them in weekly chunks. Same for literary sites.

So, it all boils down to a daily search for new material on computer technology, bikes, coffee and caffeine-containing product, and reading material.