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Mark Frauenfelder, a former colleague of mine at the Industry Standard, who talks about the rise to Internet stardom of BoingBoing in this month's Los Angeles magazine:
1. Be a Pioneer Read early blogs, interview bloggers, and experiment with creating your own Web site to research the story....2. Follow Your Gut
Decide to transform your pop culture and technology zine, Boing Boing, into a blog. Find inspiration for content in Robot Wisdom, a diverse site covering science, politics, literature, and art, edited by Jorn Barger, who coined the term “Weblog.” Steer clear of entries that detail what you’ve just had for dinner....3. Learn as You Go
Ask an enthusiastic friend to guest edit while you’re on vacation. Observe a significant uptick in readership when he posts 20 entries a day versus your 1 or 2....4. Make Headlines
Investigate a story about a mystery device from inventor Dean Kamen that’s predicted to revolutionize transportation. Enter Kamen’s name into the U.S. Patent Office’s online database, uncover a drawing of the Segway scooter, and display it on your fledgling site. Wake the next morning to discover your post was picked up by—and credited on—CNN....5. Reap the Rewards
When bandwidth bills rise to $1,000 per month thanks to the increase in traffic on your site, hire a friend with business smarts to sell advertising space. Win a 2004 Bloggie award and start pulling in $1.4 million yearly in ad revenues. Continue to post for two to five hours a day, about anything that you find intriguing or surprising—your self-described “oddball” interests—to an audience of 2.3 million oddballs just like you.
Whole thing is online at the magazine's newly rechristened (but still interim) website.