blog recipe for success

[markus]

Is there a blog recipe for success?

I'm sure great content and being first with news is often a big part of it,
but there must be more.

Granted that when looking at Technorati's top 100 blogs (   /pop/blogs/)
there are some good writers, and some covering popular topics (e.g. gadgets, politics, etc)
or even niche subjects (e.g. cuteoverload.com ).

But are there other factors overlooked that can contribute to the success of a blog?

[Omar]

One key ingredient is unique, tasteful, blog design.

[marketindr]

Omar is correct.
Another way to view it is to consider your own personal tastes.
Would you visit a blog that was just "slapped together" in an hour and the designer called it a day? Or would you rather visit a site blog that has a lot of effort behind it and is constantly updated with relevant information that keeps your interest.
I believe the answer is obvious.

[bradlee]

I don't give 2 squats about unique design. I like readability and content. Some of the best blogs (and forums for that matter) are butt-ugly. So there.

[markus]

I don't give 2 squats about unique design. I like readability and content. Some of the best blogs (and forums for that matter) are butt-ugly. So there.

Added a poll to get to the bottom of this.
But I'd have to sort of agree that quality content comes before design.
If it's gold, it can be freakin notepad I guess.

[cdc]

Well, I'm glad to see that it doesn't matter that much because I suck at design.

I think it really matters what your niche is and what you're trying to do. If you are trying to sell something, then you can't make it look like it was done by a 12 year old. If you're supplying information, design is probably less important if your information makes up for it.

We're not the right people to ask because I don't even go to blogs anymore. I just read their feeds so I really could care less what the design looks like.

[Earl Grey]

i dont care about design very much but usability is more important.