“Blog” – Try it, you’ll like it.
“Blog” – Try it, you’ll like it.
Only lately was I interested enough to find out what a blog was. According to Dictionary.com, “blog” is defined as:
noun
1.
a website containing a writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other websites.
2.
a single entry or post on such a website:
She regularly contributes a blog to the magazine's website.
However, my definition:
noun
1.
An escape from the home page.
2.
A site that stays up front and is visible for a longer time than home page articles.
3.
A site containing a writer’s or group of writers’ own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other websites. (Where have I seen that before?)
Blogs do not show up on the home page list of forums, and so are not noticed by many. However, the topics can be of interest to many who seek an escape from the usual controversial politics and other such mundane matters.
Since the blog site is open to non-members, there is a possibility that it can be a draw for new members, as it gives outsiders a view of the brilliance of our members’ writing. Articles that are only seeds written by persons other than those posting are not welcome, because, according to the definitions the writing must be original.
There is one drawback to the blog site - because it is open to non-members, it draws spam, commercial crap that simply dirties our site. It is up to all of us, when we see it, to report it with a link to Perrie so it can be deleted. Although spammers can be banned, they are constantly changing their identity so we must be vigilant.
All in all, posting original articles and commenting on the blog site can provide a respite from the constant conflicts arising in articles that show up on the Home Page.
In the words of the delicatessen waitress: “Try it, you’ll like it.”
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To blog or not to blog, that is the question. Whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of the home page or to take arms against the incessant political harangues, and by opposing, end them.
NT is in trouble. A stroll through " Newest Discussions " shows just how few members are still putting up seeds and articles. IMNAAHO, this is largely due to the insufferable (literally) behavior of a dozen members who trash any conversation that does not have their approval. It takes more stamina than I have to continue to post despite their vandalism. And the gradual dwindling of the pool of active members, as more and more have given up the fight, shows that I am not alone.
I'm attached to NT. I have spent many (MANY!) hours here. I'd like to see the site prosper. But all online discussion forums suffer from the same fundamental problem: participants can behave however they wish. This leads to a death spiral, as despicable behavior crowds out decent behavior.
So the forums all try to create "behavior codes", like NT's CoC. This only slows the death spiral, because the vandals will do everything they can to subvert the behavior code. Unless the forum is very careful to sanction overall behavior , rather than just particular acts, the vandals will transform the behavior code into a means of demolition. This is where NT stands today.
Over the years, I have made two major attempts to address NT's slow slide to oblivion.
First, I introduced Red Rules. Quite a brouhaha, as the vandals feared that they might actually be prevented from destroying any article they don't approve of. But eventually they realized, as have we all, that Red Rules are impractical: they are enforced after the fact... often long after the vandals have accomplished their demolition.
Second, I recently attempted to create a "safe zone": a blog where Red Rules were applicable all the time , so that any Mod online could react immediately. No joy.
I don't know why "Bob's Bar" failed so spectacularly. Perhaps because blog posts get very little "publicity" in NT -- there's no equivalent to "Newest Discussions", where all recent blog posts would appear. Or perhaps people knew about the stuff I posted... but didn't much care for it.
In any case, I have no more solutions for the overall quandary.
Well said, Bob. I, too, have been posting on NT from the beginning of this site and the NT site before it, and I do not intend to abandon it notwithstanding the relentless trolling and destructive posts that are infecting the site. Although I do mostly post seeds I intend to try to spend more time writing original articles as blogs.
If you start a blog, send me a message. I'll subscribe.
There are not a lot of people who contribute to NT discussions regularly. IMO, this is , by far, the biggest problem facing the site and facing any particular aspect of it, like "Bob's Bar".
Maybe 50 people regularly post on the forum here, and some of those I would call once or twice a week. With numbers like that you are just not going to get a lot of people replying to any particular blog entry. I, and a lot of others, post things that often get no response at all.
I am sure Perrie is striving on a daily basis for higher membership and more participation.