Lost Remote provides a good list of things bloggers should/shouldn’t do. Among them, with comments from me:

1. Have a voice - To think in newspaper terms, a professional blog comes somewhere between a story and a well-reported column. Don’t be boring!
2. Don’t just post wire stories - Or regurgitate press releases. Ugh! I’ve seen this done word-for-word in a local newspaper’s entertainment blog. That’s lazy reporting and journalism.
3. Engage with your readers - A colleague once snorted (yes, snorted) at my suggestion that reporters should act more like blog writers and actually police/engage in the conversations that bloom out of their stories. Many news Web sites treat their story comments like ghettos, where just about any racist or mean-spirited, off-topic comment goes, especially those hosted on Topix.com. That’s only part of the solution, of course.
4. If you don’t enjoy it, you shouldn’t be doing it
5. Create content that’s easy to read on the fly - What a great idea …
6. Make sure you post the entire feed

I will add a No. 7: Update, update, update! Now certainly for me this is a case of do as I say, not as I do. If you want to have any sort of following for your blog, you have to update it. How do you expect to build an audience if your last update was in February? I’ve seen many businesses and trade associations do this. They’ll kick off a blog, make a big deal out of it, then just stop posting.

For a Web developer starting, then forgetting is stupid. Your blog is a vital part of your “brand” and shows  your expertise. Not only can you give back to your field in terms of tips and inside information, you build crediblity in that community and with future customers.

Similar opportunities abound for news sources online. Build some credibility through regular, thoughout, kickbutt posts.