Matt writes "So what are your top 10 features for blog software?"

It depends what you mean by that. The top ten are the minimum you need to blog:

1. create an entry
   
2. edit an entry
   
3. delete an entry
   
4. add picture or file to entry
   
5. archive
   
6. customize look and feel (skinning)
   
7. categorize by topic
   
8. syndicate
   
9. search (for readers of blog)
   
10. comments
    

(I may have missed some, as it's easy to forget as one becomes acclimated to a system)

I suppose if you built this, you have a blogging system.
But next up is where it gets trickier. I'd list

1. "blog this" functionality, via bookmarklette, toolbar or right click. (I'd love to see it included in snagit, but I might be alone in my interest)
   
2. Search and replace
   
3. Backup (i.e. import/export)
   
4. Metadata editing (date, author, etc)
   
5. Publish in future/set publishing dates
   
6. Full design control over look/feel/items (including what does or doesn't show up, and in what order it shows up, and in what groupings)
   
7. Taxonomy management, including faceted and multi-hierarchal classification, as well as "easy" classifications like alpha-numeric. Descriptions, reparenting
   
8. Photo albums
   
   1. upload full directory
      
   2. name album
      
   3. delete multiple
      
   4. rotate multiple
      
   5. caption multiple
      
   6. keyword/categorize multiple
      
   7. manage layout (row#, col#)
      
   8. ordering of pictures (#1, #2, etc)
      
   9. blog a single linked to album, or single
      
   10. choose "cover"
       
   11. Password protect albums on an album by album basis
       
   12. editing pictures (least important)
       
       1. crop
          
       2. B/w
          
       3. red-eye
          
       4. darken/lighten
       obviously I'm thinking about albums a lot lately. most people don't realize how managing multiples is critical.
   
   
9. Workflow for zines (this would be longer than the photo-album subset. I'll hold off for now in describing)
   
10. Community moderation & reputation management
    

Boom, i'm out. There are so many things I could think of though

1. design wizard (i'll design it, if someone out there wants to build it)
   
2. permissions on entries
   
3. faceted filtering for search results
   
4. mini subblogs for embedding in main blog, for music/booklist/blogroll
   
5. easy installer with permission setting, etc
   

and more.

But these really depend on who the audience is... baby bloggers might be better off with easy install/design wizard than fancy taxonomy management and workflow. Zines can't live without them.

So what are *yours*?