ovOidampUle Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 (edited) I've been a forum user for most of my life, so I understand how it works, not just mechanically, but socially. You write something, most often phrased as a question (even if it's only, "does anyone else feel this way?"), and people write back, and the conversation continues back and forth until everything's been said. Every time someone responds, the topic is bumped up again as "new" content, so topics have a little longer to stay alive and may even be resurrected by a user going through older topics. Now the blogs here puzzle me a bit. First, I'm not sure if the idea is to just have a place to journal, or a place to share things and get feedback & support. I assume it's for support, but then how is it different than a forum post? Can someone also explain the technical part of it? People commented on my blog, and I don't think it turned up in the new content button. If I post on someone else's blog, will any new comments turn up in "new comments"? If I have something substantive to say in reply to someone else, nobody but the poster will read my reply b/c the original entry might be three pages back. For instance, mellifluous recently posted about her father. I'm having a related situation and thought I'd post a comment on the blog entry. But then it got a little long, and I thought maybe *I* want some support on the issue, too. So I made it a blog entry. But now what could have been an interesting forum conversation about fathers is now two separate blog posts, and there's no necessary connection for mellifluous to follow. I know I could make my own forum post about fathers, but that's not an organic process. It seems like a terrible system to me if the goal is to foster communication in a many-to-many way. That is, blogs seem oriented to having many people talk to one person. Forums are for many people to talk to many people. And maybe that's the point of it -- so one person can "have the floor." I'm not saying blogs are *bad.* They are obviously hugely popular and hugely helpful or they wouldn't exist. But can someone help me understand how blogs work technically and socially and conversationally? Dankeshoen. And this probably doesn't belong in "suggestions," but it seemed the most board meta-forum. Edited April 18, 2014 by ovOidampUle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 You can make your blog private so only some users you assign can access it. Blogs are more private, more of a journal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ovOidampUle Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 And it looks like I do "view new content" for blogs separately when I'm on the blog page. That's helpful. Thanks, San. That's sort of what I expected. So how do you decide what's a blog entry and what's a forum post? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olga Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Blogs can also be a way to blat on about your daily life. (See my blog if you want an example) Some of us write our blogs just to talk about what is going on in our lives. Those posts don't really belong out on the boards unless they relate to a specific forum. If I am starting with a new medication and I want to hear how others have done on it, I go to the forum for antidepressants and ask for feedback. If I am starting a new med and I just want to talk about how it might change my life, or the fact that my husband disapproves, I put it in my blog. People use the blogs to talk about their kids, or their cars, or their hopes and fears. It can be totally public, or (as San pointed out) you can make a list of people you would like to have in your private club. If you start a blog, others will read it and comment, and they will probably enjoy your comments on their blogs. It's a way of communicating that some of us enjoy a lot. I also use my blog to provide an escape for people. Many of our members have been abused in various ways, or have struggled for many years with their MI. My blog is a place for CB folks to go if they are interested in country living, chickens, food, and my life in general. I rarely talk about upsetting or frightening things because I think our members are facing stress in their daily lives and don't need more. But sometimes I'm upset about something and then I write about it. I gain excellent insights from the members here, very good advice, and the moral support is priceless. My friends on CB (and particularly in Blog Land) are better friends to me than some of my "Real Life" friends. olga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indigo 'n dye Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Blog...shared online journal where people can post entries about their personal experiences and hobbies. And then if we look at forum: internet message board where users can post messages on a topic of shared interest. However, rather than taking my word for anything let's check Merriam Webster, a respected dictionary. Blog, a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer; also : the contents of such a site Forum, a place or opportunity for discussing a subject Like Olga, my blog is less about my MI than it is about my life in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlurredBoundaries Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Am I the only one still wondering where the Seinfeld part came from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tryp Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 I like it because I can be as repetitive/self-centred/whiny as I want, without feeling guilty It's a way for one person to have the stage. Plus you can have more control over what goes on - if someone bugs you, you can just boot them off your blog if you want. It's like a nice little bubble. People post in the forums often because they want answers or advice. You can blog just because you want to be heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olga Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Am I the only one still wondering where the Seinfeld part came from? Jerry Seinfeld used to use that phrase all the time. "So what's the deal with these cab drivers playing their radios on stations you can't stand?" "So what's the deal with these high heels that women are wearing these days?" His stand-up routines were always about the minutiae of daily life in NYC. Our blogs are about the minutiae of OUR lives. olga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoidling Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 (edited) - Edited April 30, 2022 by Paranoidling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlurredBoundaries Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 (edited) Thanks Olga I knew that, I guess my brain, got in the way of my brain. Edited April 19, 2014 by BlurredBoundaries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ovOidampUle Posted April 19, 2014 Author Share Posted April 19, 2014 Thank you, all, that was helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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