Wordpress / IM - advice wanted

Hi, I am finally getting around to writing blogs to promote my web sites. I have a few web sites that are 1-2 years old and traffic is less than stellar so I'm here learning what I can and taking whatever actions I learn here, to promote my sites.

So first of all I started 2 Wordpress blogs to promote my sites. One is affiliated with my main web site (same root name) and the other is a wordpress blog that points to a site that points to my main site.

My question is, Is this the best practice? I have heard a lot about "rings" and "pyramids" and I thought that starting a couple Wordpress blogs with different names and different content, with one pointing to my main site and one pointing to a site that points to my main site, is a good idea. But now I am wondering "Is this a good idea?" Or will the big G just see through my plan and punish me or at least not reward me for my separate blogs?

Also, should I submit these blogs to search engines, directories, rss feeds, etc.?

What is my best SEO strategry vis a vis using Wordpress? If anyone can give me advice or point me to sites that give me that advice, I'd appreciate it.

Also, is the idea of owning a few different domains/sites that deal with the same subject matter but using mostly-different content (i.e.; the words are not the same, but same ideas), a good idea, when these "other sites" point back to my main site?