You might not have 20 bucks to spend on the latest e-book from your favorite hard-working, always-helpful-or-interesting, frequently-posting blogger – or even five bucks to put in their virtual “tip jar.” But if you’d still like to do something tangible that rewards them for providing you with consistently good content, here are a few “old-school” ideas they’ll really appreciate.

1. Comment on their posts. Whether or not you’ve commented on their blog before, do it today and often. Bloggers want interactivity on their blogs – it’s one of the main reasons they’re blogging, to engage readers in conversation. But don’t just type “Nice post” and call it a comment. Write one or two well-thought-out sentences that show why it was a “nice post,” what you got out of it, or that share a story from your own experience that illustrates the same (or opposite) theme expressed in the post. Do this regularly, and feel free to link back to your own blog (if you have one) in the comment submission form.

2. Digg or Stumble their post. Join one of the popular page-sharing websites and share the best work of your favorite blogger. Bloggers seek to build an audience for their blogs, and having one of their pages recommended by a third party (you!) is like the difference between a business telling you how great they are vs. a satisfied customer giving a spontaneous testimonial.

3. Introduce them to your Facebook community. Use the “notes” feature, or the “links” tab within your status update to share a link to a favorite post and give a brief introduction/review to your FB friends. You’re not only helping the blogger build their audience, you’re also giving your FB friends a glimpse into who you are, what you like to read, what you find interesting. This strategy has the added benefit of helping you become a resource for your friends, providing them with interesting, informative links.

4. Tweet their link to your Twitter followers, for the same reasons you shared them on Facebook. Bloggers dream about getting that endless “retweet,” but it’ll never happen unless somebody (preferably that third party – you!) gets it started.

5. Share them on your own blog. Expand on, agree or disagree with, or relate to your own life one of the points from their recent “nice post,” and post your thoughts as an item on your own blog with a link back to their post. Come back to their blog and leave a comment on their post, letting them know about your follow-up. You might also add them to your published blogroll.

Now it’s your turn: what other no-cost methods do you use for rewarding the blogs you love to read?

Image seen at MGITSolutions.com blog