Excellent post Grant, and I'm with it all the way. I started with clear goals though i knew nothing about blogging and set up everything, painfully, myself. All due to my job in my previous life.

I am an excellent writer, passionate about my subject & research takes a lot of time, and I intend to have a successful blog. It's my baby.

I'm at point. 5 because figuring out all the technical aspects and tinkering with the innards make me want to tear my hair out!

So after I move to WP, I realise I will need professional help. I've had it with the late nights. I'm a good judge of people but not these skills.

So my question is this - what criteria would I use to find someone to work on my blog?

Thanks.

Cynthia, I have the same problem .... no comments. People don't recognize that they have to do an action to bring up a "Comment" dialogue box where they can enter their thoughts with my WordPress theme.
I have taken to Explaining to my Russian readership, that on my WP theme blog, they have to look for the "No Comments" tab that comes after the "Category" tabs. This is a problem with my WP theme. Maybe you have the same problem.

Dear Grant,

I am discovering that my readership is out of Russia. [Finally someone!] Happily, I am getting numerous emails each day. I can translate them using a FireFox ImTranslator add-on. They are always complimentary and encouraging.

I have two problems, however.

The first is that the email hosting services (yandex.ru mostly and rambler.ru are being used) will not net me return email and I get delivery failures. Any thoughts? I have received notices from Postermater.yahoo.com that they have been informed by these hosting services that the emails are "no-reply".

The second is that my readership is, apparently, is not familiar with clicking on the "No Comment" link that my WP puts at the end of each blog. Hell, that was confusing to me, too, when I started.

So now, I am acknowledging that Russian readership at the top of new posts I have written for them (since I can not email them back). Additionally, I am directing them with specific directions on how click on the "No Comments" tab to post their comments.

Do you know of a better WP plug-in so a Comment box section shows automatically on each post like you do here?

Any thoughts?

Great post, and tons of good advice. However I still have trouble getting people (other than my son) to post comments to my site. And my mom only read it once.

But that's okay, it is a work in progress. Thanks for the good hints here.

Wow,

If I'd had this guidance at the beginning, I never would have made each and every mistake listed here. I have a DIY blog (with some great comments and help from Grant and other pals here in the blogosphere) and didn't have a goal at the beginning. While I've found my rhythm, I could have hit the ground running better with this advice.