The Following Thing

TGIF!!!  I couldn't think of a picture for today, and I didn't take any this morning, so here's one of my dog because A. She's cute, and B. She's a herding dog, so she likes to follow people around.

1. Guest posts are a good way to gain new exposure.  What do you think is the appropriate way to go about securing a guest spot?  I've only done one guest post, and I came upon the opportunity because the blogger put out the word that she was looking for people to do guest posts while she was on vacation.  I sent her an email saying what I'd plan on writing about, and that was about it.
2. Leaving comments is essential to growing your blog. But how can you leave a comment without coming across as ‘Follow Me. Follow Me!’?  When I first joined IFB, I got a little caught up in the "hey, check out my blog if you want" type of thing because it seemed like that's what others were doing, but now I just leave my link with my name when I comment.  They'll click if they want to; and if they like my content, then they'll follow, too.  I also think it's important to be sincere and relevant to the content of the post.
3. We’ve all gotten a mass email at one time or another asking for blog exposure, a link exchange, etc… But the mass emails don’t work.  How do you make your email stand out from the crowd?  Funny, I did just get one of these the other day.  I personally don't like blog hops for the sake of blog hops.  I like when there's a project behind it, like the FBFF questions, 30 for 30, or Paper Doll Project, stuff like that.  It's fun to see how the other linked bloggers answered the questions or completed the project.  So to more directly answer the question, make your link exchange more interactive.
4. In interacting with other bloggers where do you draw the line between seeking support and begging for exposure? I can't think of a time when I've asked for support, but I have gotten a little spammy promoting a post before.  I'm not really sure how others market themselves actually, so it'll be really interesting to read everybody else's answers.  I'm in awe of new blogs that have 100+ followers already. 
5. What’s one rule of engagement error you made and how have you remedied that?  Following someone simply to get them to follow back?  And then expecting others to do the same?  Following other people's blogs is a good way to encourage people to follow back, but if the content doesn't interest me, there's not much point of having it in my Google Reader if I'm not actually going to read it.  As much as I'd like to have hundreds of readers, I'd also like my readers to enjoy my content.  I recently un-followed a blog that pretty much every other post was an ad for something.  I don't know if all these things are sponsors or what, but it definitely does not make for good content.  If I wanted to see commercials, I'd watch TV.