(please excuse the reply below.. it's sort of an inside-joke, and I couldn't
resist)
On Wednesday 11 December 2002 14:49, Derek Glidden wrote:
> I have very mixed feelings about this. I think if people want to have
> their own web-diary thing (I hate the terms "weblog" and even more,
> "blog". Don't use them around me in person unless you feel like being
> punched...) they should go set up their own or find someone to host it.
It's true. Derek has strong feelings against "blogs" (even saying that in this
email is likely to illicit a punch in the face). He's harboring some deep
resentment to the very idea of a "blog". The very blog-ness of a blog force
him to consider anti-blogging, but he dare not for fear of using the blog
word. Did I mention he hates blogs? Or even just the word "blog". Too bloggy,
I guess.
> I don't particularly like the idea of trying to tie something like that
> to the SLUG list. I like mailing lists, I dislike web-based discussion
> methods, and I would be concerned that discussion would move off the
> list, or that a large amount of the discussion would turn into "I have a
> question. check my latest entry at... http://blahblahblah/ " as the
> entirety of the message.
That's why a mail archive is nice. You can redirect people to a website with a
link to the actual message. No, wait, that's a blog. Wow. Blogtastik.
> I'm going to quote (yet another :) of my own rants about web-based
> message systems I posted once to a different list (not quite as appropos
> to this specific topic but virtually):
Blog. Blog blog blog blogity blog. Blogger.
> "I think web forums are one of the most horrible side effects of the
> Internet explosion for a few reasons:
Blog?
> * A web browser "textfield" is an extremely sucky editor. Everyone has
> their favorite email clients, but there is (except for extremely rare
> exceptions) only one interface to the web forum and you MUST use the one
> given to you whether you like it or not. (and personally, I've NEVER
> seen a web forum interface that I didn't at least marginally dislike;
> most are really despicably horrible.)
With a bit of creative blogness, it is possible to put a WYSIWYG Java page up
for editing blog content. I've seen a few Javascript sites with excellent
blogging interfaces. My favorite blog engine (and yours, right?), PostNuke,
has plugins for various editors.
> * Invariably the forum messages are going to be stored in some
> proprietary format with proprietary access methods (i.e. stuffed into a
> database that can only be gotten to through the forum) and in a central
> location with no hope of having your own local copy to browse offline or
> search with your favorite email client or even tools like "grep". (And
> with one central repository, if there is ever a drive crash and no
> backups, that's all gone forever.)
Most of the major hosted blog engines have XML backends and can dump to an
easily parsed file for inclusion elsewhere. Even a SQL database of blogging
goodness may be dumped to an intermediate format, should you wish to share
your blog content. Think of it, blogging for future posterity!
> * A web forum REQUIRES that you perform an action to participate - you
> MUST visit the website to read anything; it doesn't just magically show
> up in your INBOX as with a mailing list, where you can then choose to
> ignore/file/delete or reply/participate as you might feel at that
> particular moment. If you don't click on it regularly, you are no
> longer able to even passively participate.
I'm all for keeping a mailing list in parallel with a blog... legacy
interfaces are a Good Thing (TM). I'm not fond of Web Forums, which are
different than blogs. Perhaps you are confusing the two? Blogs aren't
interactive, Forums are. Blogs are just rants by bloggers to blog their
blogging life's story on their blog for other blog addicts to blog about.
> * Web forums are subject to the whims of the Internet - if your route to
> the server at that particular moment is down, you can't do anything, and
> you have to either sit there clicking "Reload" waiting for it to come
> back or give up and hopefully remember to come back later. Email will
> queue up until the connection comes back - you might not get it
> immediately, but you WILL get it eventually through no extra effort on
> the part of the recipient.
FORUMS ARE NOT BLOGS. Blogs are blogs. Forums are forums. People discuss blogs
in forums, but are not blogs by definition. A blogger may blog about a forum
as well. Meta-moderated sites like Slashdot combine blogs with forums, but
this isn't neccesary.
Ok, so blogs are better WITH forums, but you don't need a forum to have a
blog.
> Forgive the semi-rant, but I simply don't understand the fascination so
> many people have today with using web forums instead of a simple mailing
> list."
Why does "blog" remind me of Emily Dickenson's "I'm nobody"?
If this doesn't get Derek to give me a good punch in the face, I'm not sure
what will...
(psst: hey derek: "blog!")
-- - Ian C. Blenke <icblenke@nks.net>(This message bound by the following: http://www.nks.net/email_disclaimer.html)
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