I was reading an excellent blog post by Jim Frimmer: Worried about comments on your blog posts? Worry about statistics instead. In the post he talks about viewing statistics being more important then the numbers of comments.
I totally agree! I have been blogging now for a couple of years and have yet to be featured on Activerain. I stopped coveting a Feature too when I discovered the true power of blogging and even more so when I found a way to attract hundreds and thousands of viewings from my target area from a blog post!
It's really not rocket science, I'm not sure why more people dont do it but those that do are cashing in on the success of piggybacking popular local newspaper articles and topics of immediate popular interest
Almost anything on the front page of the newspaper is the topic du jour in your town so why not write about it and its implications for "Maple Ridge Real Estate" (<---insert your town here).
Most local papers are weekly or bi-weekly so sometimes you can even get the jump on the local rags by blogging about something before it hits the paper this way all those Google searches come to your Blog for sure, as long as you use the logical terms that people would search with, its that easy.

In the list you see above, Jackson Farm, New Westminster Credit Union, 240th St Bridge, Whonnock United Curch, BC HST, Albion Ferry, & Heatwave were all newspaper-like topics of the day. This list accounted for over 9000 views and 872 clicks. Not bad for stuff that mostly took just a few minutes to write and posted with a quick picture I took from my car window while driving around on other business.
Do I like it when fellow AR members comment on my posts, sure I do. Are AR members my demographic of choice, heck no! I might get the odd referral from Florida but I get tons o' business from the old home town folk doing Google searches and finding little ol' me. (Pretty folksy huh?)

your Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge and surrounding areas Realtor
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The District of Maple Ridge was incorporated September 12, 1874, it covered an area of 33,000 acres (130 km²) yet only had approximately 50 families living in the town. Maple Ridge is British Columbia's sixth-oldest municipality (after New Westminster, Victoria, Langley, Lake Cowichan, and Chilliwack). Until the expansion of Metro Vancouver (the GVRD) it was part of the now-defunct Dewdney-Alouette Regional District with the city of Pitt Meadows and District of Mission and other north-side communities east to Chehalis.

I's hard to beat living in River Springs. Nestled at the base of Burke Mountain in Coquitlam, residents here enjoy a standard of living that will remind you of days gone by. People going out for walks, neighbours acting neighbourly, there's a sense of saftey and security that makes it a great place to raise a family or retire in peace and quiet.
Situated on the shores of the mighty Fraser River and nestled against the Coast Mountains, Maple Ridge is a mecca of adventure for the outdoor enthusiast. Located 45 kilometers east of Vancouver, it is a progressive community well-known for its beautiful countryside and spectacular scenery. It is a community of urban sophistication that retains a sense of rural charm.
Great point, Scott. I would trade a Featured post for a good loan lead anyday - unless of course a Featured Post pays me $3,000! ;-)