Not sure if you guys have read this yet - but I thought there were some interesting points in here. Google Article
Excellent article. It comes down to the same information over and over - build a good site, keep it fresh, link carefully, be patient. None of which is easy to do when you are starting; but it seems to work over the course of a year...
See http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=12518 and http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=13486