Blog Directories - Which Do You Use?

Someone on the Professional Bloggers Forum posted a question regarding Blog Directories such as Technorati, Blogarama, Blogmommas, MyBlogLog etc.

I know there are some that Google has frowned upon because of their auto-surf capabilities and I can't name them right off the top of my head, however, I thought the topic was so important to bloggers who are exploring traffic options that I wanted to bring the discussion here as well.

Some of the bloggers I've become familiar with and trust have listed the directories they are associated with - here are just a few of the more popular ones:

• Technorati
• MyBlogLog
• BlogHer
• BlogExplosion
• StumbleUpon
• Blogarama
• Christian Stay at Home Moms
• BlogMommas

What are some of the directories you belong to (or have belonged to previously) and what has your personal experience been with them?

A Successful Blogspot Blog Scavenger Hunt

With so many people wanting to get on board with the blogging trend and wanting to start off with a free blog platform, I thought it might be fun to invite bloggers to partake in a little blogspot blog scavenger hunt of sorts.

I've personally seen several blogspot blogs out there that I would consider to be top notch blogs that provide unique and entertaining content as well as establishing themselves as a very profitable business.

I'd like to invite readers of Work at Home Mom to seek out those heavy hitter bloggers who host their blogs on blogspot or another free platform to be featured here and to serve as inspiration for anyone wanting to blog and needs an extra nudge but don't have the money to invest to get them started.

Criteria to consider:

1. Design and Layout
2. Content - quantity and quality
3. Ads and Ad Placement (are they using quality affiliates?)
4. What keeps you reading?
5. Check Google Page Rank and Traffic if possible.

Just to name a few --

As you submit these HIGH Caliber Blogs, I'll be posting them right here (along with your link as the submitter) for the world to be inspired:

Enjoy

What Makes You Feed A Blog?

When it comes to finding blogs that turn me into a returning visitor and loyal reader, there are a few things a blog MUST have in order to get me to keep coming back.

They must be updated regularly. If I visit a few times over the course of a month and it's not been updated, I remove it from my reader.

A blog must present something new - An occasional copy of an article is ok, but seriously, how hard is it to copy a portion of an article and comment on it with your own opinions.

People who don't have the ability to form an opinion on their own should not blog.

I also like to find the occasional interjection of humor. Make me laugh and I'll love you forever.

Keep in mind that many of your readers are still on dial-up. If your blog takes a long time to load, I'm not going to hang out and wait. I just keep on clicking.

Those are really the biggies for me. I enjoy reading on such a wide variety of topics, so topic isn't so much an issue. Content is!

What makes you want to add a blog to your feed reader? What can bloggers do to keep you coming back?

This topic was brought up on Business Blogwire and thought it was worthy of mention here. So many people think slapping up a blog and just providing WORDS is all it takes to become a blogger. They couldn't be further off base.

Mommy Inc. - Blogging her way to fame

Talk about a blog to riches story!

If you're a skeptic on this whole blogging thing, you'll want to check out Mommy Inc. because just a few weeks ago she was asking herself if this blogging thing was worth it.

I think it's really great - especially since she's a mom of twins too :)

Hat tip to Casual Keystrokes