The other day I detailed critical questions new bloggers fail to ask. Now here are seven questions I almost always hear, and they are good ones.

1. How much will a blog cost? The “hard costs” for blogging technology are low, depending largely on the platform you select and the complexity of your design and programming requirements. The “soft costs” of writing and marketing your blog are whatever you want them to be. Blogging can chew up a lot of employee time, but it doesn’t have to.

2. What platform should I use? All other things being equal, I recommend WordPress. It’s incredibly robust, totally affordable, and easily expandable to incorporate your entire Web site. For more on WordPress, click here.

3. What about legal issues? Internet law is an emerging discipline. Laws relating to libel, confidentiality, intellectual property, First Amendment protection, disclosure, liability for comments, and a host of other issues are unsettled and vary from state to state. For larger firms in particular, it’s prudent to consult an attorney who specializes in Internet law. A good online resource is the Electronic Frontier Foundation. By covering the legal bases early on when developing your blog strategy, you’ll develop a safe and sound content strategy and be able to properly coach your writers and editors.

4. How much time will it take? The time required for a business blog is completely within your control. The more time you put in to writing and marketing your blog, the better its quality will be and the more traffic you’ll draw. However, you can ramp up slowly and/or outsource writing and marketing activities. The key is to have clear objectives and a manageable, sustainable workload.

5. How about negative or obscene comments? Your blog’s content is completely under your control. You can moderate comments before or after they are published, or not moderate them at all. Your comment strategy will depend largely on the nature of your content, the audience you seek to attract, and the speed with which you can review comments. That said, it pays to develop a new media outlook. Companies are often uncomfortable with the open, transparent, conversational, and often blunt nature of blog communication. It may be hard to believe, but over-controlling your blog’s content can do more damage than publishing negative comments. My Book Store offers several great reads on new media thinking.

6. How many posts should I do? Three posts a week or more should give you plenty of credibility. To some that sounds like a lot, to others, a piece of cake. Of course, fewer posts doesn’t necessarily equate to less time. The right content strategy must reflect your enthusiasm for writing.

7. What should I call my blog? Sorry, no pat answers for this one.

• Some outstanding blogs have descriptive names - ProBlogger, for example.
• Some are descriptive yet clever - Web Ink Now or Technosailor, for example.
• Often, a blog will carry the name of it’s author or primary author. Steve Farber Extreme Leadership, for example.
• Occasionally a blog will have a meaningless name - Fark, for example. Generally speaking, it’s prudent for your blog’s name to be descriptive and employ keywords.

If you’re looking for inspiration, take a look at Liz Strauss’ list of SOB Bloggers. You’ll find lots of excellent reading material as well!