I had the same problems.

I've written several posts (in italian) in the last few months.
So I've spent enough time trying to understand if I was writing for a purpose or not.
I decided to put a free-counter on the main page of my z-blog.
This was the only way to see if someone was reading, at least, the main page.
This is not a solution but it gives an generic idea...

From here we go straight to the second point: writing a comment.
Talking with some friends I've found that most of them prefer not to register to the site.
They would like to comment but they pass because it takes too long to do it.
Some of them prefer to send me a private email asking to paste it on the blog.
This is not a solution. But 'till the comment will be restricted to members there is nothing else I can do (except inviting them to join Znet!)

We'll see.

It's frustrating when you post a blog and/or comment on someone elses and you are left feeling very much alone.

I joined this website to get together and to organize and to fortify relative to the positions that we, the members, writers, sustainers, etc. hold in common.

Are people reading these blogs? If you are, just leave small comments to that effect. That way, we who are active will have some feeling that our efforts are not totally in vain.

Those are great questions.  I don't know the answers.

I think posting comments may be more effective than writing blogs, for the purpose of generating discussion at ZSpace.  That more often draws in the writer and others.

I usually have other purposes, however.

I write on farm issues.  There is no farm or food topic to put them in, nor is there a group.  I think I get readership from nonmembers who can't comment without joining.  I'm using my blog to make information available on the web that is hard to find, or hard to put together.

I'm also writing about topics that aren't covered elsewhere (ie. movement failures related to the farm bill).  

When I can i try to link to different topic areas.  For example, I plan to post a piece showing how the Brits make the same mistakes about the US farm bill, and a similar piece making the same argument regarding LDC farmers.  Then I can connect my zSpace blog to others around the world who need to know about the concerns I raise.