I figure the beginning of 2010 is the perfect time to ask the above question. Two years ago the question was how to make money blogging, and many found the answer to that.

The key to any successful website is traffic; traffic begets profit. How does one get traffic or pageviews? It all boils down to content and consistency. Content, be it 50-100% original, depends on your special outlook on things. If you are basing your post around someone else’s, at least do the 1+2 rule. If the info you quote is a sentence or more, write two paragraphs of original content. 1 quote + 2 original paragraphs = 3 used spaces in the post. This creates a nice full post, a piece of good reading and a very happy crawling Google bot.

How about consistency?

Today’s blogs are like your local daily papers. You go to the newsstand everyday right? Well so does your readers. They depend on you to give them some new, fresh or remixed news. This is universal whether you read Nah right or Mashable. Keeping a good pattern allows your traffic to expect certain things from you. If you have ads, most will be ok with that if you start from the beginning that way. If you switch it up without an apology post, prepare to lose quality readers.

These are just two ways to go Mainstream. It’s not instant nor easy. It’s not even calculated. It’s about finding a groove and sticking with it. If you don’t like what you write about no one else will. Be yourself and not who they say you are supposed to be. If you are from the suburbs and love Hip-hop show it, If you are urban but opinionated about tech, let it rip.

Identify with the who your audience is and they will identify with you.

These are a few tips, I’ve observed – what are some elements you’ve noticed common to blogs that have gone mainstream?