Source: www.blogher.com
legibility and layout
The layout of the blog is one of its most important features. Even though it does not really say anything about its content, it is responsible for giving the first impression. It's the first thing the potential reader notices, when they browse the blog for the first time and could very well decide if they want to keep reading it or not.
One of the most important parts of the layout is the font. No matter how good a blog is written, it won't count for anything if it's impossible to read. The colour of the text should should not conflict with the background and the fond chosen should preferably not be too curly or adorned. To all the bloggers out there: Choose something that's easy on the reader's eyes. Reading on screen is bad enough as it is, you should not make things worse by making your blog look like its from the eighties.
being interested in what you blog about and blogging about what you are interested in
I don't really think one's interest in the topics is a good way to judge a blog. Me not being interested in certain issues does not deem the blog a bad blog. What really affects its value, however, is the blogger's own interest in the topics. The reader totally notices if somebody is passionate about a subject or if they were prompted to write about it. Real enthusiasm simply shines through everyone's writing. So, even if it's just by an average writer, their enthusiasm makes reading your post much more enjoyable. It's a bit like watching your friends talk about their favourite book or person – just incredibly cute.
pictures
Adding a few pictures to your posts immediately helps to increase its appeal. Just those plain blocks of words often seem kind of boring. I wouldn't really want to start reading that. A well chosen picture, however, supports your text perfectly. Sometimes a picture simply does say more than a thousand words. They are also like little sneak peaks and often manage to capture the reader's interest. They split up long texts and make them seem more bearable. Their position should be considered carefully, though and too many pictures might seem to clustered. So, the pictures and their position should be well chosen.
revealing a bit about themselves
Letting the readers know something about themselves instantly increases the blogger's appeal. It doesn't have to be their deepest secret. Just giving away a few little bits and pieces about who they are and what they like is enough: their favourite book, their knack for chick flicks, how they always wanted to travel to India, anything really. That was always one of the things I liked about my favourite blogs. Learning something about the blogger. Getting to know the person behind the blog. Becoming acquainted with the person you have been following for a while. It's almost like making a new friend and one that does not talk back at that. I guess, everybody wants to know something about the person writing the blog that they love. Satisfying this need only works in the blogger's favour.
language and grammar
I couldn't really decide whether I should list this for a pretty long time. While I do think that good language skills increase the posts' value immensely, it is the content that counts. Most of the English blogs on the internet are not run by native English speakers. English is simply the language you can reach out to the biggest number of people with. If you want to have a vast international audience, you will have to at least provide English translations to the posts in your mother tongue. It is, however, a much better experience to read a blog by a blogger possessing at least basic grammar skills and a sufficient range of vocabulary. You just can't forget: Even though good grammar and vocabulary are appreciated, they cannot save a boring blog post.
I also had a look at the blogs of last year's students. The blogs listed below immediately managed to capture my attention and remain the focus of my interest. Josepha wrote a lot about traveling and the other two have a wide range of topics. Enjoy!
http://theresast94.blogspot.co.at
http://sarahleins-english-world.blogspot.co.at
http://itsjosephasblog.blogspot.co.at
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