The Best Blogging Advice I Ever Received

Slowly but surely I've begun growing my readership and now accept at  least a few freelance writing jobs each week.   A lot of it was research and a great deal of hard work/marketing myself,  while some was networking and connecting with other bloggers.
Below is some of the best advice I have received on developing my blog:

source
1. Turn off your damn captcha. Honestly, do it and notice the almost  instantaneous increase in comments. If you must have it, change your  settings so it shows while we're commenting.   There's nothing worse than hitting "Post Comment" and after the  page refreshes a surprise captcha page pops up. No bueno homeslice.      

source   2. Comment on blogs within your niche but especially on those that are not. Very quickly you can develop a rapport with other bloggers just by  exchanging comments and providing a few encouraging words.   There are blogs I love and have no expectation whatsoever of ever receiving a comment, and there are those that I have supported for a while and then lost interest because of the  lack of interaction. No one likes a selfish blogger.

3. Utilize the various free blogging communities to interact and acquire tips and tricks from other bloggers on how to succeed and why.
IFB, 20SomethingBlogger, SITS, BlogTrends, BlogEngage, Bloggers, Regional Facebook Blog Groups, Foodie, LinkedIn Niche Blogger Groups, Bloglovin, HelloCotton, BlogBrunch, CopyBlogger etc.

source
4. Include links to relevant previous posts to increase your hits. So simple - even by adding the "LinkWithin" widget which pulls up all those related will aid a boom.    

 

source

 5. Blog about what you know and are passionate about. All else is just filler  and people will know it. When someone has passion  about a topic, their  excitement shows. Thus creating excitement from those reading.

6. Encourage your readers to leave comments by ending your post with a question. It provides them with an automatic personalized response to your post, easy!      7. Get a little personal ... I'm not saying to share your social security number  and home  address - but allowing your readers in a bit will inspire  trust and permit them to connect with you.    

   8. Be versatile it will nurture a more diverse following. Don't rely solely on well-written prose or merely pretty pictures. Challenge yourself to record a vlog - keep it interesting.

9. Participate in Bloghops to which you feel you can contribute valuable quips of  knowledge. Doing this always adds a few extra hits and numerous new followers.

source
10. The most important.. Provide quality content for your readers that will keep them coming back and most likely sharing your blog with others. Useful. Gets. Hits.   Useless and pretty only sustains attention for so long.  Knowing your readers and how best your posts can serve  them is key to achieving longevity. 

source  
These were only a few of many - one day when I've come much further and learned a  great deal more, I will do a more extensive post.      In the meantime, what are some of the best tips you've picked up?