Experienced software entrepreneur, Dharmesh Shah, recently posted a list of 8 “magic” numbers software entrepreneurs should try to strive for when building a startup if they want to win the Web 2.0 “lottery” (think multi-million dollar valuations and acquisitions). And for some reason or another, looking at it prompted me to visualise those numbers in a blogger’s perspective.

Not surprisingly, I found that, with some adaptation, you could also make a list of “magic” numbers bloggers should try to strive for when starting a new blog:

• 0: This is the ideal number of established blogs nearly identical to the one you are starting. The biggest blogs in some niches today made sure to pick this number, e.g. ProBlogger, TechCrunch, etc.
• 10: The number of blogs nearly identical to yours that you should assume will spring up in the near future. Does this even need an example? See digital photography, VOIP, etc.
• 1: The minimum number of bloggers you should add to your team if you want to be a big boy fast. Doesn’t matter how fast you write a post, linkbait, do SEO, etc., you’re always limited by time. An example of a group weblog? Performancing.
• 2: The maximum number of times you should check your AdSense earnings, traffic stats, etc. before getting back to “real” blogging. Well… you can cheat by using the AdSense Notifier Firefox plugin.
• 7: The number of days a week you should work on your blog. This is highly debatable, but if you take a look see at the 800lb. gorillas in big niches, you’ll probably see (multiple) posts being published daily – without fail.
• 8: The average number of ad clicks you should expect to get as a result of being Dugg, Farked, Boing Boing-ed, etc. Here’s some proof.

Okay, play nice. I know some of these don’t always hold, but I’m sure they ring a bell in many situations. So, what are your favourite numbers in the blog “lottery”?

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