Jeff also posted about InviteShare.com. A nice service if you have spare invites or want to get “in the crowd”, but I still appreciate the generosity of a fellow blogger’s hookup. I have a few Pownce invites left. If you are interested, post a comment below.

Flickr Photo credit: Eric Willis aka “Superic”

Last week, I found Yuvi’s post #1 and #2 (he’s a 16-year old from Chennai, India) that has analyzed… no, he did more than analyze, he dissected over three year’s worth of data from engadget.com. By measuring everything from post frequency, comments, incoming links per post, words per post and virtually all other variables, he’s allowing people to infer reasons for Engadget’s success. He’s also charging $2-5 to ask custom questions so he can get a better host(smart move).

Maybe you know your blog traffic or don’t have a clue, but I suggest you take a peek at Yuvi’s methods. He’s done a great job and may shed new light on what you should be measuring to make your blog successful.

So set down your tray and and I’ll explain the five metrics on where you are in the blogosphere lunchroom.

Notes passed in the classroom – In school, all the cool kids get notes passed to them and for bloggers, these are our comments. A blog is meant to be an interactive tool, IMO. Seth Godin maintains a nice table seat despite not allowing comments (he used to). Whereas, Noah Kagan… well, let’s just say he loves them. You’ll always have those regular commenters (we love you!), but it’s not the end of the world if you only get a few. I quickly learned with the city blog we launched for Louisville, most people want to be voyeurs first and interactive second.

Interacting in the Halls – When the bell rings and you have to walk to chemistry class, how many people do you stop to chat with? Better yet, how many stop YOU? With blogs, these are the people who grab your RSS feed and make up your monthly traffic. Feedburner has built a business for tracking blog traffic and rss feeds (among others). I think this is your ticket to upgrading your table position.

Signatures in your yearbook - Did you write something thoughtful in your classmates’ books or did you make fun of them? Both ways can get a response and to grow blog traffic, you gotta show link love. It’s the online way to pat them on the back (agree) or give them a little shove (disagree). Show the love or stir the pot because both ways work.

Weekend invitations – Getting invited to the weekend party was always a big deal. Online these invitations come in the form of social networking. Whether you’re selective (Jory Des Jardins) or you’re adding everyone (Ron Bates), the way you network online can affect your blog traffic. I’ve chosen to be an open networker on LinkedIn and MyBlogLog, but keep my MySpace account more selective. Much like linking to others, both strategic or open networkers can drive blog traffic and help you maneuver to a better lunch spot.

Prom Royalty – Who was chosen as your prom queen/king? I can’t remember who won at my school, but getting that one-time vote was important to some. In the blogsphere, our votes are taken daily at aggregation sites like Reddit and Digg. Don’t be afraid to nominate yourself and be sure to help others if you want to wear the “crown” one day.

Currently, I slink over, head pointed down to my seat enjoying a lactose beverage. I’m building my plan to inch my way towards a better table. And although the cool table kids stand in the same line with me everyday, I swear they get served more fries.

Since blogs are considered a live representation of the game, any blog that has action photos or game reports, including play-by-play, scores or any in-game updates, is specifically prohibited. In essence, no blog entries are permitted between the first pitch and the final out of each game.

The strange part is Brian was given press credentials as a blogger. He’d also been live blogging from the previous post-season series in Missouri. My local paper is owned by Gannett, so this isn’t a small company the NCAA is messing with. According to Brian’s blog, the paper’s attorney is already researching if the NCAA is somehow denying the paper the right to report.

I’m not a journalist and the majority of the public would still say that professional bloggers aren’t either. Regardless, this creates a scary precedent on what the NCAA may do in the future. I know other bloggers who have live blogged games (including yours truly), so why stop them now?

On a positive note, the University of Louisville Cardinals are now going to their first College World Series! Cheer them on if you make the trip, but don’t try blogging it live.

Photo credit: Slate.com