Here are some tips on what makes a great blog. These thoughts are in my own words but borrow directly from a very informative (and entertaining!) recent talk given by Sonia Simone of Copyblogger:

1. Keep it personal and entertaining: people want to know how your content relates to them, and they don’t mind being entertained in the process.

2. The days of respecting “authority for authority’s sake” are gone. Nowadays, people want a “cool friend” who is both cool and an authority on a given topic. People will listen to their cool friend before they will listen to what is written in the Encyclopedia Britannica.

3. Give people a “cookie” every time you submit new content. In other words, given them something they can use right away without trying to sell them anything. This will make people love reading your stuff because they know that they will always walk away with something they can use right away to make their lives or their businesses better.

4. Looking for content ideas? Check out AllTop, the self-proclaimed “online magazine rack” of popular topics.