Want to be a power blogger? Be transparent, find a niche and post in massive quantities. And then be prepared to address issues that arise as you become a big-time blogger.

Here’s a look at some of the key issues addressed at an AlwaysOn panel on power blogging (watch conference). ‘Telling me who I can link to is crap.’ The panel included Jeff Jarvis of Buzzmachine, Peter Rojas of Engadget and Elizabeth Spiers, founder of Dead Horse Media, which publishes Dealbreaker.com. The panel was moderated by Steve Rubel of Micropersuasion.

Here are excerpts from the conversation:

When does a blog stop being a blog and when does it become traditional media?

Rojas says “it’s always been pretty hard to define what a blog is.” So hard that you probably shouldn’t spend too much time trying to define it. Instead focus on the content. Rojas:

“Are you creating something people find worth to spend time on? I worry less about whether Engadget is a blog anymore and more about whether it’s worth spending time on.”

Jarvis notes that “blogs are two way. Worst thing we can do is create
our own closed club.”

How do you build traffic and sell it?

Spiers says some PR can’t hurt to go along with good content. For instance, Dealbreaker is widely known on Wall Street, which is a nice target for advertisers. Break some news, get a mention in mainstream media outlets such as The New York Times and New York Post and traffic follows.

Spiers’ biggest tip: Mainstream media does nothing for traffic, but helps sell your site to advertisers. The traffic comes from links from other sites. “It’s very easy for my sales guy to shop around Dealbreaker because the financial community is already aware of it. The median income for a Dealbreaker reader is $220,000 a year. That’s not difficult to shop to an agency.”

Do big bloggers have a responsibility to link to little guy?

In a word: No. Jarvis says the link debate is tiresome.

“You link on merit. Telling me who I can link to is crap. It’s personal. I link to those things I see and I find. It’s just a conversation.”

What’s you best tip for building audience?

Spiers: “Create great content and do a lot of it. You have to publish constantly–12 posts a day. Eight to 10 if original.”

Jarvis: “Link out. If not you’re not part of the conversation.”

Rojas: “Create good content. Pick a niche or area you want to focus on. Find the smallest area you can find and own that niche.”

Read the full article at ZDNet .