Blog Improvement Project: Week 1

I am very excited to participate in this year's Blog Improvement Project (from henceforth abbreviated as BIP for the sake of my fingers). I started this blog last April and by the time I actually heard about the 2009 BIP, it was around July, too late to start, and the blog was still kind of in the late stages of development anyway. So, I've anxiously awaited February 2010 so I could finally start an organized method of improving the Five Borough Book Review for you, the reader.

So let's start with what I like about the blog:

1. It's the collaborative effort that I have always intended it to be. I initially started this as a place for my friends to discuss our reads; that it has gained a wider audience is just a special added bonus!
2. We don't rate books. We don't want to tell you if you will like a book or not; it's usually not that simple. We want to foster discussion, so we'll always suggest you read it and form your own opinion. 
3. The layout is organized. Poor web and graphic design hurts my eyes, so I want to make sure our page is (hopefully) pleasing to its viewers.

Now for some things I want to change [aka, these are my overall GOALS for the BIP!]:

1. Thanks to Google Analytics and Feedburner, I know we have a loyal readership. However, our comments don't reflect that. I don't need comments for validation, but when we're trying to start discussion and don't get much of one in return, it starts to feel like we're talking to ourselves in the deep, Internet abyss.
2. Along with that, it could be that my posts just aren't interesting enough. When talking about books, it's hard to break the habit of just writing a review rather than typing commentary that will get people to think and respond. So I want to work on quality of posts. I know that some bloggers spend hours on a post and I basically jot down whatever's in my head. Maybe I should spend more time on it.
3. Along with THAT, I don't have a very wide range of topics I cover in posts; it's usually book reviews with an occasional random post on something else book related. I'd like to write about more, but for two big reasons, I don't. One, I often lack inspiration. The only time I work on the blog is during my eight working hours during the day; once I get home, by no means do I want to open my computer and stare at a screen any longer. And two, books are my biggest hobby, but I'm 24 and living in New York City. While I love blogging, it's not a super high priority—I do read a lot but I also work, eat, sleep, drink, go to the gym, and hang out with my friends. [That's why being collaborative is great, because if it was only me writing this, there would be days between posts]. I would like to diversify the content of my posts, but I don't want to make this too much of a personal blog because I already have one of those. Plus, it's not just my voice you're reading (back to that whole collaborative thing). 
4. I want to brand the blog a bit better. This will involve a layout change, which I have been wanting to do for a while.

So now questions for you, the reader. Take a couple minutes and give me some feedback! It'll be a great start to the BIP!

1. How many book blogs would you say you read regularly? What keeps you coming back to those blogs?
2. What are your favorite types of posts to read? Book reviews, discussion questions, fun extras, non-book-related posts?
3. When reading a blog post, what triggers you to hit that comment button?
4. Would posing questions after a review inspire you to participate in a discussion of the book?
5. How much do you want to know about the blog author? Do you just want to read reviews or do you want to feel like you know and have a connection with the blogger?