twilyth
07-19-2010, 08:07 PM
I've seen this on a couple of other boards and think it's a good idea. Most of the time it has some bells and whistles to limit access but that shouldn't be a big deal to implement since I think we already have restricted sections - at least TPU does and GN uses the same software I think.
The idea is a forum where every member can maintain a thread that would be a virtual blog. It's sort of the same idea as the 'what are you doing now' thread, except it would be easier to follow people's individual stories. I mean, if you're away for a few days and come back, you don't really want to got through 30 pages in the 'now' thread to see what happened with this or that person. And to be honest, in some cases you're not all that interested anyway (I don't have anyone in particular in mind, just sayin' as a general principle).
Of course the smart ass answer is to have people set up their own blog and then put it in their sig or something. But that's a pain in the ass. If we have individual threads for people that want them, then we don't have to go hunting down blogs and updates appear in the 'new posts' list.
Also, a lot of times I feel like talking about something in a little more detail than I would go into on the 'now' thread. I know that it's going to be gone and forgotten within a few posts so there doesn't seem to be any point. At the same time, it might not be something that would get many responses so it's not worth creating a whole new thread for it. Anyway, when you do that, it looks too much like you're saying 'hey, look at me.' I guess to be clinically accurate, a blog has some of the same aspects, but it's really a lot more than that. In other words, you can have a personal blog without being an attention whore.
A thread is also a lot more fluid in terms of exchanging ideas than a blog structure. with a blog it's like you're the teacher and your "followers" may or may not be permitted to comment on what you have to say. A personal thread is more egalitarian and flows a lot better than a blog - IMO.
The idea is a forum where every member can maintain a thread that would be a virtual blog. It's sort of the same idea as the 'what are you doing now' thread, except it would be easier to follow people's individual stories. I mean, if you're away for a few days and come back, you don't really want to got through 30 pages in the 'now' thread to see what happened with this or that person. And to be honest, in some cases you're not all that interested anyway (I don't have anyone in particular in mind, just sayin' as a general principle).
Of course the smart ass answer is to have people set up their own blog and then put it in their sig or something. But that's a pain in the ass. If we have individual threads for people that want them, then we don't have to go hunting down blogs and updates appear in the 'new posts' list.
Also, a lot of times I feel like talking about something in a little more detail than I would go into on the 'now' thread. I know that it's going to be gone and forgotten within a few posts so there doesn't seem to be any point. At the same time, it might not be something that would get many responses so it's not worth creating a whole new thread for it. Anyway, when you do that, it looks too much like you're saying 'hey, look at me.' I guess to be clinically accurate, a blog has some of the same aspects, but it's really a lot more than that. In other words, you can have a personal blog without being an attention whore.
A thread is also a lot more fluid in terms of exchanging ideas than a blog structure. with a blog it's like you're the teacher and your "followers" may or may not be permitted to comment on what you have to say. A personal thread is more egalitarian and flows a lot better than a blog - IMO.