First of what I hope are many posts

I am a long time blog reader and once-upon-a-time group blogger. It's been about 5 years since I put words to digital paper but I thought it was time to get back into the game.

What makes a good blogger to the masses? If the goal of a blogger is to grow audience share, the following 3 skills are critical for success:

1) Compelling writing - whether it's politics, religion, culture, sports or something else entirely the writing has to be engaging and accessible. Go read a post-doctoral comparative literature thesis. Then write in the opposite way.
2) Excellent arguments - shoddy reasoning and a poor grasp of the facts will never stand the test of aggressive fisking. Everyone is out to get someone they disagree with. Be prepared with a counter-argument.
3) Relevant and timely - in the age of immediate news and commentary, bloggers must address the most up-to-date information available. Don't come to a post with information that's already been debunked or invalidated.

This is why blogging is so damned demanding. Who has the time to exercise all three of those skills together on a regular basis? We'll see if I do.