The blog attached

[Wraith]

I know how to do the code, but I don't have any experience with WordPress specifically. I also have no real artistic ability to speak of, but if people tell me what they want I can make it happen. Assuming it doesn't involve opening up a graphics program.

[Steely Glint]

Well, the wordpress code is pretty simple; just bunch of loops and that tell it where to put shit, basically. If we could come to some consensus about what we want the blog to look like, all of us with relevant skills could just pitch in to make it happen.

[Hazir]

So you don't think anyone should look over the blog posts of members who've posted before? I mean, everyone can have a bad day...

Ideally we'd have an editor or even an editorial board, for the time being most of us do still have day-jobs though.

On a loosely related note; would it be possible to put a link to the forum on the blog-page right now?

[Spawnie]

It seems a good way to go about it is to allow comments on the blog but have them moderated for quality. Obviously we dont want general chat or anything offensive on the first page someone sees when they come to your blog from google or whatever.

When a blog post is made it can be simultaneously made into a thread in CC for general discussion and backbiting - perhaps with a different text colour to show that a major thread had been made (if we want to make the blog a focus for this place, which is my understanding.)

[Loki]

Just published wiggin's article, with a link attached to the relevant forum thread. But we need better procedures in place for the future.

[RandBlade]

Activity is the best thing for getting a blog ranked higher on Google etc - and thus firstly getting people to view the blog and also keeping people interested and returning.

How often were you thinking of having blog posts? I'd be thinking 2-3 a day at least one a day would be best.

[Hazir]

Just published wiggin's article, with a link attached to the relevant forum thread. But we need better procedures in place for the future.

Can't you put the link as an actual URL ? Also, it's a bit confusing that you can react on the Blog and in the Forum. I did react on the Blog by the way because I thought the Forum thread was more about the publish worthyness of the piece.

[Loki]

Can't you put the link as an actual URL ? Also, it's a bit confusing that you can react on the Blog and in the Forum. I did react on the Blog by the way because I thought the Forum thread was more about the publish worthyness of the piece.

After 5 minutes of tinkering with things, I managed to do that. And it's probably better to respond on the thread instead of the blog.

[wiggin]

We should probably just close comments then (or have Wordpress redirect to the forum). Only issue is that it will be reg-required, then - maybe not a bad idea to cut down on spam.

RB is right - it's good to have frequent updates (especially if we keep them short) coupled with lots of self-referencing. For example, if I make a mini-series of US declinism, I'd refer to various previous posts in making my case. It's also generally good to have at least one or two interesting out-links for each article. It provides some context, a sense of timeliness (i.e. putting the general point into specific relief wrt current events), etc. Too many is of course annoying and a bad idea.

I can easily come up with at least one decent post a week, and can probably do 2 or more if things get moving. Who's next?

[Loki]

Those are good ideas. The only reason I haven't turned off blog comments is because all blogs have them. New members might be too intimidated to post in the forums right away. Though I'm willing to reevaluate this point in a month or two.

I'll write up mine as soon as I come up with an idea. Anyone else?

[wiggin]

Plenty of higher-end blogs have reg-required comments. I actually think it would be better to keep all discussion of the main point on the blog page simply to make the community more obviously vibrant to a visitor (and since the discussion tends to be far better informed than run of the mill blog comments sections), but understand that would change the dynamic of the forum and kinda be a pain in the ass to check both places (not to mention comment approval being a burden on admins).

[DecoyMilk]

May have been suggested already, but have a 'Blog discussion' forum, each blog post links to the thread with the same blog title, people discuss on forums, comments disabled on actual blog. Blog gets traffic, forum gets more members who may see the other forums and stick around.

Everyone's a winner, baby.

[Loki]

Two problems with that. 1) People from here might not bother heading to the Blog Discussion forum, which would defeat the purpose of having discussion here (though we do add a "B" next to each blog thread). 2) Outsiders might think the blog is not very active if it has no comments. Not really sure how to resolve the second issue.

[DecoyMilk]

Two problems with that. 1) People from here might not bother heading to the Blog Discussion forum, which would defeat the purpose of having discussion here (though we do add a "B" next to each blog thread). 2) Outsiders might think the blog is not very active if it has no comments. Not really sure how to resolve the second issue.

1 can be resolved by not posting the article on the forum, only on the blog.

2 can be resolved by putting a fairly obvious link saying something along the lines of " To participate in the discussions on this article, please visit XXXX" but better.


edit: Oops, misread your point 1. Well, you could have [Blog] or whatever in the regular forum if you don't like a separate one, or I guess you could just trust that forummers will read and discuss? I dunno.

[Loki]

Two problems with that. 1) People from here might not bother heading to the Blog Discussion forum, which would defeat the purpose of having discussion here (though we do add a "B" next to each blog thread). 2) Outsiders might think the blog is not very active if it has no comments. Not really sure how to resolve the second issue.

1 can be resolved by not posting the article on the forum, only on the blog.

2 can be resolved by putting a fairly obvious link saying something along the lines of " To participate in the discussions on this article, please visit XXXX" but better.


edit: Oops, misread your point 1. Well, you could have [Blog] or whatever in the regular forum if you don't like a separate one, or I guess you could just trust that forummers will read and discuss? I dunno.

2 seems like a good idea. What does everyone else think (i.e. get rid of commenting on posts and write "TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION OF THIS ARTICLE, PLEASE VISIT ITS TWIN DISCUSSION THREAD: LINK" after each post?

[Tempus Vernum]

2 seems like a good idea. What does everyone else think (i.e. get rid of commenting on posts and write "TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION OF THIS ARTICLE, PLEASE VISIT ITS TWIN DISCUSSION THREAD: LINK" after each post?

I'd put my vote on Blog posts being their own seperate part of the site, but comments being reflections of a thread in the forum.

Much like how Ars technica works, they have a bot that automatically takes blog posts and creates a forum thread for them, then comments on the post are basically just pointers to forum replies to the bots post.

[Loki]

I'd put my vote on Blog posts being their own seperate part of the site, but comments being reflections of a thread in the forum.

Much like how Ars technica works, they have a bot that automatically takes blog posts and creates a forum thread for them, then comments on the post are basically just pointers to forum replies to the bots post.

That's basically how things are now. The blog is separate, but we attach a link to the twin thread on this forum (obviously having a bot do it would be easier, but that probably takes some work to implement).

[Tempus Vernum]

(obviously having a bot do it would be easier, but that probably takes some work to implement).

It depends on what the phpBB API looks like... but if you could hack the blogs posting system to also post a forum thread at the same time using a preset user it shouldn't be too hard.

Hacking the comment system to display replies to the thread as comments and also turn the leave-a-reply form into a method to post replies to the thread would take more work.

[RandBlade]

I can easily come up with at least one decent post a week, and can probably do 2 or more if things get moving. Who's next?

If this is about global politics, then if its OK I could post one of two a week about the UK (especially with it being an election year now), or ideas behind polling in general (that has become an interest of mine recently).

I'd be very curious if Hazir is up to it, to read some posts on Europe and the EU - he'd be the resident expert on that

[Flixy]

2 seems like a good idea. What does everyone else think (i.e. get rid of commenting on posts and write "TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION OF THIS ARTICLE, PLEASE VISIT ITS TWIN DISCUSSION THREAD: LINK" after each post?

I think that is better than comments. Just make it really obvious!

If possible, it would be neat if replies to the forum thread were automatically added as comments to the blog, and vice versa, but I can imagine that is quite tricky.

I might be able to write some things too but no promises,and most likely not very soon because I have exams now. Would probably be a bit more technology oriented.I actually read some interesting things about interrogations and passenger screening at airports (which also completely bashed the US way of interrogating police suspects, by the way ). Would things like that also be within the scope?

[Flixy]

I see this at the start of teh blog piece by the way:


About
Logistics, projection power, and the making of superpowers

[Loki]

I see this at the start of teh blog piece by the way:


About
Logistics, projection power, and the making of superpowers

Odd, I didn't see it. How about now?

[Flixy]

Gone. Might have been my computer being retarded?

[Loki]

Gone. Might have been my computer being retarded?

No, I got rid a line of code from the beginning of the piece. But I couldn't see that code when not in admin-mode. I think it was only visible to IE users.

[Lor]

All this chit-chat about a blog, how the hell do i find the blasted thing any who?

[Loki]

http://theworldforgotten.com

[Lor]

http://theworldforgotten.com

How strange, i tried said URL and came straight here yesterday ... now i see a blog! Can't complain.

[Spawnie]

And it's probably better to respond on the thread instead of the blog.

Maybe you can leave good, well thought out or interesting comments on the main blog page, any discussion or back-and-forths between posters can be done in the thread.

Or you could take the best bits of the thread discussion and have them as "comments" below the blog.

Makes it look a bit more like some actual cut-and-thrust is happening rather than just blog posts into the stratosphere.

Edit - for example, i read most of my football news from the bbc and it allows moderated user-comments below its articles and blogs which, because of the moderation, are often very interesting and keeps me reading. Any dross (usually) gets the cut.

[Loki]

Yeah, the problem is showing that the blog is active, while simultaneously integrating it with the forum. Any other ideas for doing this?

[oldmunchkin]

So you don't think anyone should look over the blog posts of members who've posted before? I mean, everyone can have a bad day...

Ideally we'd have an editor or even an editorial board, for the time being most of us do still have day-jobs though.

On a loosely related note; would it be possible to put a link to the forum on the blog-page right now?

Since my hours tend to be pretty flexible, I would volunteer to do proofreading and such. Just let me know if you guys want my help or not. :geek: