Ask HN: What advice do you have for a first time blogger?

I'm in college and am just starting my first blog about an unrelated subject. So far my audience is just my local friends and acquaintances, but I want to build a larger community. How do I form lasting relationships with my readers? I really want to build a community, not just an audience, and that requires interactivity.

I saw this item a week or so ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=485592 But it seems as if everyone was off on different tangents rather than discussing how to build a compelling blog.

All advice is very appreciated. Thanks.