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There are three things a company blog has to nail in order to be successful.

One: have a real, live personality. Without the sense that there is a flesh and blood human behind the words, one who could read and enter the proof-of-humanity code on the Digg site, the blog becomes nothing more than another communication distro channel. Inhibited, official blogs sort of miss the whole point, right?

Two: the blog should share something worthwhile. This could be gossip, it could be personal stories, or stuff about the product that most people don’t know–the easter eggs. Related to this is the creation of community. The more people involved in the posting, and the more responsive to commentary, the info is shared–and shared info is what it’s all about.

Three: The posts are current. Blogs that sit for weeks at a time without something new to offer just lose energy. Good blogs live and breath in real time.

So, without further ado, Three Blogs That Hit the Spot:

Southwest Airlines: Check the latest post- a memorial to one of its pilots who was killed in Iraq. This company blog is consistently personal in tone and content, while still covering corporate issues and decisions when needed. Southwest has built an amazing following, with both its customers and employees. This blog has a phenomenal customer and employee following, evidenced by its frequent posts and participation, and the volume of commentary.

37 Signals:I don’t know, 37 signals’ blog is just the coolest thing. It’s got all kinds of good stuff in it, random notes about other companies, design ideas and call-outs, easter eggs galore. And they post every freaking day, garnering a mountain of truly interesting comments and at least one response per day. The blog is full of personality and information and builds the brand because the bloggers really seem to have something of value to offer. Love. It.

Zillow blog: I almost like Zillow blog more than Zillow. Zillow changes a lot of things with its online app that opens up house prices to everyone and their blog takes things a step further by sharing lots of tips and tricks to making the most out of the application. Does it help them sell product? Yeah, it’s definitely a product pushing thing, but it doesn’t feel like a tactic as much as a way to use the app better. Also, they have lots and lots of posts that relate to home ownership, pure and simple. They also manage to have a very good following and often request input from their readers on issues.

I notice that two of my three company choices are pure-plays. Coincidence? I think not. Internet companies have the potential to understand the channel on a DNA level–though that doesn’t mean they will. Amazon’s book blog is sort of interesting; it has the feeling of trying too hard. I’d like to see an Amazon blog–a general blog. Maybe they have one, but I can’t find it. Alternately, traditional companies like Southwest can cross over just fine–they’ve obviously hit the ground running.

Who’s missing from the list? A lot of good blogs and not-so-good blogs, but I wanted to keep the list short and focused. Below are a few notables I wish were on the list, but aren’t.

Flickr’s blog. I love this blog but it doesn’t doesn’t love me. I love it because it’s beautiful and intriguing and also teaches me stuff; it pains me that it doesn’t seem to want to hear from anyone in the form of comments, or that it appears to be lacking an internal following (irregular posts). Kudos for the community gathering space in the left nav, though. I’m not sure it’s really found itself yet, but I like it anyway.

Zopa blog: Zopa is a community lending company, founded by some past colleagues of mine, and I really like the company, wish it would come to the U.S. But I’m not too crazy about the blog and here’s why: not much give and take. Some silly talk, some wandering about, but not much real substance and not much community. Commentary is low, though the page rank is pretty good. It seems like it could be a lot more focused and useful, and I’m betting it will be soon.

So, what company blogs do you read? Which ones work, which ones don’t?