^[1]John Wesley has an interesting post ^[2] about his blogging experience and building an audience of 3,000 unique visitors a day and 2,200 subscribers. Let me share a few of what I believe are my favorite insights. In no particular order [my comments follow]:

• Be prepared to invest 2-3 years before seeing any serious returns. (Don’t forget to read the ROI of Free ^[3].)
• A bad post is worse than no post. (Ask yourself :”What is the value that this post provides my readers?”)
• It won’t work if you try to satisfy everyone. (You’re not a $100 bill; not everyone needs to like your topic or posts, nor will they, so stop trying.)
• Piss a few people off. (If you haven’t, you didn’t move anyone emotionally in a positive way either.)
• If linking doesn’t provide value to your readers it’s a bad idea. (Think before doing a “Group Link.”)
• Respond to your commenters, especially the ones who disagree. (It’s easy to comment with people who share your point of view. Responding to the challenging comments improves your writing and thinking.)
• Display your best posts on every page in a prominent location. (People landing on your blog for the first time are like people jumping into the middle of the conversation. Give them a way to catch up quickly.)

Check out his full 27 lessons learned about blogging ^[2].