I’m doing a little research on the side trying to unearth what really makes a blog tick. The general answer would be a site that caters to a community of people, sharing similar interests, and seeking relevant content to fuel those interests. But what specifically makes a good blog/website work?

In talking with a friend yesterday, he reiterated the importance of establishing a personal relationship with your audience. Connect with them in a personal way, and they will be “readers for life.” That can be difficult to do at times, so generally speaking, here are some reasons on why I read blogs:

• They get me my information faster than most, in bit-size chunks I can consume. I despise long blog posts.
• Blogs are a more democratic form of news and information. I like the reader comments just as much as the post content.
• I get to see the personalities of writers and readers that comment, and look forward to what they have to say on a given topic because I feel like I know them, even if slightly.
• I believe them to be one of the best, if not the best way to get to really know and trust someone over the web. I’ve even hired an excellent programmer solely by getting to know him through blogging. I now consider him a close friend even though a majority of our communication happens asynchronously via blog posts, comments, and emails.

So what say ye, Smooth Harold readers? Why do you read the blogs that you do?