In talking about Mary's data loss, Mark Bernstein referenced an earlier post(2002) he'd done on alistapart on writing for the living web--this is still an inspiring and useful read.
Summary version (read the whole post--it's waay better):

• Write for a reason: "Whether your daily updates concern your work life, your hobbies, or your innermost feelings, write passionately about things that matter."
• Write often: " You need not write constantly, and you need not write long, but you must write often."
• Write tight: "Omit unneccessary words."
• Make good friends: "..in your web writing take special care to acknowledge the good work and good ideas of other writers. "
• Find good enemies: "The best enemy, in fact, is often a friend, a writer you cite frequently and who often cites you, but with whom you disagree on a specific questions."
• Let the story unfold: "Understand the storyteller?s art and use the technique of narrative to shape the emerging structure of your living site."
• Stand up, speak out: "Try, if you can, to avoid inflicting unnecessary pain and humiliation on those who have the misfortune to be mistaken."
• Be sexy: "The more of yourself you put into your writing, the more human and engaging your work will be."
• Use your archives: "Always provide a permanent location (a ?permalink?) where each item can be found."
• Relax: "Don't worry about the size of your audience. If you write with energy and wit about things that matter, your audience will find you."