The fabulous Seth Godin has left all of us bloggers an excellent post with 56 thoughts on 'How to get more traffic for your blog' revealing that blogging is not an exact science by any stretch of the imagination.
Just a few of his tips:
2. Be topical... write posts that need to be read right now.
5. Be timeless... write posts that will be readable in a year.
14. Be snarky. Write nearly libelous things about fellow bloggers, daring them to respond (with links back to you) on their blog.
30. Point to useful but little-known resources.
55. Don't be boring.

He alternately suggests including comments, and not including comments, warns against writing about one's children, and then suggests it - ultimately, we think, proving that a well-written, well-read blog doesn't necessarily follow a set of rules at all, but rather the feeling of the day, or the heart - whatever the case may be.

Check out Seth's entire post here.