Before you start creating your own business blog it doesn't hurt to check out what the competition is doing. This is not only a form of market research that allows you to see what readers might be interested in, it is also a way of preventing yourself from making the same mistakes as your competitor.

However the main reason to check out your competitor's site is to see if you are mining from the same informational sources. It is a good idea to make your content as different from your competition's as possible and to take cues from what your competitor is doing that works to make your own blog more successful.

A competition's blog can also be a valuable source of PR for you. Every time you enter a comment on your competitor's blog you can add a link back to your blogging site. This ensures that you are placing yet another link to your blog in a place where it is sure to be appreciated by interested visitors.

Bloggers love comments because readers who are engaged in a discussion in the comments section will return to a page again and again. Some popular blogs have hundreds of comments on some entries, and for every commenter you can be sure there are dozens who are following along but who do not care for whatever reason to get involved in the discussion. Comment areas will usually allow you to enter your email address and blog address in addition to your name, so for every comment you make, you're insuring that another link to your blog is placed in front of people who might be interested in what you have to say.

However before you leave any kind of spam or negative commentary remember that your competitor may do the same to you on your blog. Ultimately this just makes both blog businesses look bad.