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Easton Ellsworth is not just a successful blogger at BusinessBlogWire.com, but he's also the editor of Know More Media's business blogging network. Easton Ellsworth talked to About Web Logs about his blogging career.

What did you do before you started writing your blog(s)?

In August 2004, I was a full-time undergraduate student looking for a job I could do from home for a few hours each week. I stumbled across a job listing for a part-time gig with a small web publishing company. They took me on, and several months later they started up the Know More Media blog network. I was blessed to be a part of launching that network as a blogger and a network editor.

What were your original plans for your blog(s) and why did you start blogging?

It just happened. When we started Know More Media in late 2005, they gave me several possible blog topics to choose from. I liked the idea of blogging about business blogging - and thus my gig at BusinessBlogWire.com was born. I originally just wanted to use it to get to know other bloggers in my niche and spread the word about our network.

Approximately how many visitors do you get to your blog(s) each day?

100 or 200 usually.

How much time do you spend on work related to your blog(s) each week?

Only maybe 2-3 hours a week on BusinessBlogWire. The rest of my 40-hour-ish work week consists mostly of helping our authors improve their blogging, recruiting new authors, working with advertisers and promoting our content.

How did you get to where you are now with your blog(s)? To what do you attribute your success?

A ton of hard work and a hefty helping of good fortune. Right place, right time, etc. My success comes from the rest of the team at Know More Media. We all pull together, so we manage to stay afloat on the rough seas of web publishing.

Where do you see your blog(s) and yourself in 5 years?

Great question. I see myself working for Know More Media still as an editor. I love this job and the feeling of satisfaction I get from helping other people make the most of their blogs.

What can you tell beginner bloggers about the value or role of a blog network such as Know More Media?

A network can be a great way to jumpstart your blogging. You get the benefit of not having to worry about anything except writing posts and engaging with readers, and you have access to training and mentoring and a community you don't otherwise get.

What tips would you give new bloggers to help them start out on a path to success?

Learn voraciously and get to know smart people fast. Learn from people; it's much more effective than learning from search engines alone. Remember that blogging can be quite time-consuming and difficult, and don't get discouraged if it is. Stick with it and chart your progress regularly in relation to key progress indicators or milestones that you have set for yourself. Think HUGE. Your potential is really only limited by your vision of what you can do via your blog.

One of the hardest things for beginner bloggers is getting traffic. What tips can you give bloggers to drive traffic to a new blog?

Write top-quality content that scratches an itch that people have and make sure that when they visit your blog, they like what they see and feel like coming back. Offer original, useful, entertaining content and try hard to build a community, one individual at a time. Be real. Think quality and relationships, not quantity and eyeballs.

What is your favorite blogging tool or the tool you couldn't live without?

Google everything. Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Maps, etc.

What are your three favorite blogs to read? What makes those blogs special?

Problogger.net by Darren Rowse; Successful-Blog.com by Liz Strauss; and EMomsAtHome.com/blog by Wendy Piersall. There are tons of others but they make my really short list because they each teach from the heart with humility and verve, and they each have developed a conversation into a vibrant community. Their blogs are smart, funny, introspective and deeply moving.

What else do you do aside from blogging?

Well, I like to sleep a little each night. I'm a work-at-home dad, so that pretty much takes up the rest of my time. I love it!

You can find Easton writing at:

BusinessBlogWire.com

KnowMoreMedia.com