I agree on every count.

I agree totally, I was at one time uncomfortable with some of the topics in chitchat. Different people have different sensitivities. I think the blogs allow for that and you can also make them more private so its not open to all when you need privacy.

If everyone respects the rules and takes the time to understand them properly then we would get used to looking in the blogs for peoples news and achievments, just the same as many of us check the chit chat posts. We have much to be thankful for with this forum, I'm open to doing what ever is needed to keep it running as smoothly as possible for us and the mods and Sam.

OUCH
I did NOT mean for my post to cause this much strife!

I FULLY understand the job of the mods as I have been one myself, elsewhere. No thanks, don't want the job, do NOT envy the mods one teensy bit.
I guess my confusion stems from my infrequent visits these days, and I hadn't realized what changes had been brought about.

My apologies for causing a ruckus. Although, I'm still slightly confused where the line exactly is, I do respect the mods jobs. Please don't misunderstand me.

While I have to agree with Zoo/Carl, I'll "agree to disagree" and wander off to read the rules again for changes and see what I've missed in my absence.

everyone.

really really sorry dident know about blogs dont know how to do them either
sorry i will delete my message ( if i can work it out )
wont sin again

On the forum, or ever

ooooo thats a hard one -lol wont sin on forum EVER
will always be a sinner in life tho.................lol well cant be good all the time can we
or should i
oooerr

everything in moderation

I have yet to comment on this yet, but as it is affecting how much I enjoy and use this wonderful forum, I had to say something today.

While I understand that some people write about subjects that some find inane, why do I find that most of the threads I read in this subforum end up being locked and sent to the blogs? Which, incidentally, I don't read. I have to admit being annoyed by this rule, and the locking of threads I'm interested in.

Isn't this what "Chit Chat" is?

Some people, like me, have never gotten the hang of blogs. While people have the opportunity to comment on a blog, it's the back and forth discussion, and the constant changes of direction, that fascinate me and keep my interest on a forum.

I've been a forum user for 15 years, and when one of my forums recently considered a change to having a blog section (like the one here) and ending the "General Discussion" subforum, I protested heartily. Thankfully they rescinded the idea.

Today was another annoyance on top of several others recently - when Nailzoo's thread about meeting Geeg (posted on Nail Geek) was shut down and sent to the blogs. I don't care that this is a "personal" commentary - two of the best known members of the forum, who come from opposite ends of the planet, got to meet. How many of us would have killed to be a fly on the wall of those meetings? The ideas that must have been flowing would have been amazing. I am of the opinion that this topic was an interest to the group in general, and should not have been shut down in the general forum. Now, because of the players involved the Moderators may have made this decision to avoid being seen has having favourites and allowing some people to circumvent this rule, but I am still finding the rule too strict to begin with.

Because I don't blog, I also find myself avoiding writing about some client issues and things verging on the personal because I loathe to have my threads locked. How many others are resistant to post things here because of this?

I realise by my saying this I may be pushing the boundary of the rules myself, but I find that the Chit Chat board is somewhat sparse and would perhaps have more to read if this Blog rule was relaxed somewhat. If people don't want to read a thread, then don't - it's not hard to avoid discussions you have no interest in.

Again, this is just one opinion, but I find I've remained silent every other time this has occurred and I really had to say something. I'm prepared to "play by the rules" to be allowed to stay here, but I want to say that I don't agree with this one.

It would be such a boring world if we all agreed with each other wouldn't it?

At the end of the day, the rules/guidelines are there to be followed and that includes everyone who is a registered member. If you want to write personal day to day stuff then it couldn't be easier, click on Navigation, then click on Blogs, you'll see a link on the left that says 'Post to your blog'... and off you go, job done... how much easier could it be?

And the added bonus is that only registered members can access the blogs

I suppose it's down to the old favourite...
You can please some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time!

Dear Valencia

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate that as a moderator, one can't please everyone all the time, and as laid back as I usually am, it's unusual for me to even comment on things like this. I was not an active member a year ago, so I can't vouch for the state of the Chit Chat forum before this rule came into play. And while you must have had your reasons for the changes, I am voicing a personal preference and by no means expect any rule to change simply because I want it to



__________________________________________________ ____

The ideas that must have been flowing would have been amazing. I am of the opinion that this topic was an interest to the group in general, and should not have been shut down in the general forum. Now, because of the players involved the Moderators may have made this decision to avoid being seen has having favourites and allowing some people to circumvent this rule, but I am still finding the rule too strict to begin with.
That's complete rubbish, the rules are there for everyone to follow, favouritism doesn't come into it.
__________________________________________________ _____

In reading my post again, particularly this part (your words included in pink above), I regret that I chose my words poorly. Please know that I wasn't implying that the mods were playing favourites - as the thread was locked, it shows the complete opposite, in that there are no favourites (if the thread hadn't been locked, perhaps this might have been an accusation). I apologise that I didn't make this clear.



I'm also acknowledging that it's not difficult to write on blogs - in your words, yes, the process itself is very easy. But I find reading other people's blogs terrible tedious at times, and I imagine that many people would accuse me of the same should I write one. Again, I like the "back and forth" of forums - yes, that's a personal preference.

I'm finding I rarely look at the Chit Chat board here now because it is so quiet (in comparison to some of the forums on this site, which are heavingly busy). I will try to keep in line with the rules, and will choose to post "personal chit chat" on forums that don't have the blog requirement. This community is important to me, but one musn't have to agree all the time!

Thanks for you feedback.

The blogs were instigated because of the plethora of personal meanderings in the chit chat forum. In effect, the 'all about me' threads clogged up and buried any post worth having a discussion about in the Chit Chat forum AND the 'Whats New' pages.

Blogs are not near as visible as threads, therefore they sometimes get over looked. Only way to change that is to go participate in the blogs. Ironic thing is that most people that "don't do blogs" choose not to participate in them because its 'all about someone else' and 'not them'. Now imagine the forums filled with that and all of those threads burying all of the professional threads every time you hit 'new posts' (anyone remember that?). Personally, I wish more people would write more relevant blogs, although I suppose personal blogs have their place as part of the community too.

FWIW: We will introduce better ways of making the blogs 'more visible' and more of an essential area of the site in 2009.

HTHs

Surely this is a good reason for them to be in blogs and not on the main forum, even if it is in chit chat!

I am forced to say once again - this is Sam's bus and all are welcome to travel on it, he chooses the route and the timetable and if we don't like it we don't have to travel.

Why anyone thinks that because they don't like the way things are arranged, that they will be changed is quite beyond me..........and as I can see, I am not alone.

I don't think people have as much of a filter when they write on a blog. On a forum, brevity is encouraged otherwise people don't read the entries (some posters will even tell the writer this... "the post was too long so I didn't bother reading it"). Most forums I read usually include this info in the titles (like Warning - long post, etc) so if you don't want to read a novel, you don't have to.

As far as blogs being "all about the writer" and not about me - well, that's one way of looking at it, but it's not my viewpoint I'm particularly interested in, but the other people reading and posting. This is certainly true of threads that I neither started nor have posted in yet. I don't post to hear myself talk!! I love reading the interactions and development of the conversations (conversations, not monologues) and reading the viewpoints of others, some of which are so different to mine. I've enjoyed this on other boards, and would like to do so here. It's just that I keep picking locked threads to start reading...

Again - just a difference of opinion. If you can find a way of making the blogs more accessible, great - I'm all for that if the conversations aren't going to be included on the forums. I'm not a total Luddite after all!

The only reason that I don't participate in the blogs is that I can't imagine anyone finding my life at all interesting. I tried once but I found it a bit 'all about me' and didn't do it again. It's not at all that I can't be bothered, I just don't get them.

The reasons that I don't read blogs are twofold. 1. The ones that I've read seem rather private.....almost like a diary. 2. Unil 10mins ago, I couldn't work out how to navigate them. I've just found out how to read previous blogs by the same poster. It makes sense now as for example, a geek mentioned someone being ill 'again', and the replies were obviously from geeks who knew they'd been ill 'before'. I've just realised that there is a link button to previous blogs by the same poster. That's what I never found before.

Aside from the personal blogs, can you give us some pointers on what other kind of subjects would be of interest and benefit to geeks? I take it the tutorials will still stay there? I'm happy to give blogs a go if I knew what I should be writing about. Many thanks. xxx