Anybody reading the blogs?
localroger
Posts: 3,452
Nobody quite seems to know what to do with them yet. I decided to give it a shot and blog some of the stuff I'm working on with a big project at work, but it would be nice to see some comments (even if they're of the "wish I knew what you were talking about" variety :-)
* update *
The difference between blogs and forum threads is:
For a forum thread, the originating post is always the root. You have to go back to it if you find it after 1,795 posts to find updates to the source. It's awkward.
With the blog, the most recent is most accessible, even if there are comments under it. I can update something and not send you back 35 pages to the source to get the updated copy I posted under the original (in fact, it means you can still get that old copy if you want it for some reason). It just works better for a lot of long-running things. Things like the C, Zog, ZCog, VCog, and other threads that went on and on for pages and pages and pages -- all of those would have been much more navigable as blogs.
You don't have to hammer that square long-term project peg into the round discussion thread hole any more.
* update *
The difference between blogs and forum threads is:
For a forum thread, the originating post is always the root. You have to go back to it if you find it after 1,795 posts to find updates to the source. It's awkward.
With the blog, the most recent is most accessible, even if there are comments under it. I can update something and not send you back 35 pages to the source to get the updated copy I posted under the original (in fact, it means you can still get that old copy if you want it for some reason). It just works better for a lot of long-running things. Things like the C, Zog, ZCog, VCog, and other threads that went on and on for pages and pages and pages -- all of those would have been much more navigable as blogs.
You don't have to hammer that square long-term project peg into the round discussion thread hole any more.
Comments
-Phil
I skimmed over some of your blog and that's exactly what I thought about saying because it was way over my head, but since most things people write here are way over my head, I just figured it would irk people if I kept writing "wish I knew what you were talking about" all over their posts. However, I do learn a lot from you guys (at least I think I do) so blog on, dudes.*
*And dudettes, too.
The blog I'm interested in studying is a beginner's blog right here:
http://www.gadgetgangster.com/tutorials/293
Blogs tend to be more of an authorship/leadership form of presentation where as threads are chatty. In the long run both can really be helpful. But I personally am not a 'blog writer', more of a Q&A/comment guy.
In some cases, the Forums can provide the 'brain wave' kind of collaboration whereas the Blogs might provide a periodic presentation of material that is well defined
I'll share my thoughts about how I think the blogs should be used. Just like Loopy said, the blogs could be a great place where people develop their project, whether it's the development of an idea/application or the exploration of a topic of interest to the blogger. They're really more for exposition than having questions answered. Blogs give the blogger a chance to control the content in a way they desire, but using the comments in a way to provide feedback along the way.
My personal goal is to move my [few] projects from the Completed Projects Forum to my own blog. This is much easier than running my own website, which receives no attention from me anyway. Our Propeller FAEs will also use the blog to share some of their Propeller tips. Marketing will highlight (or "promote" using social media terms) blogs or key forum threads to the forum landing page. Another idea that I'm pursuing next week is to send an S2 robot to OBC so he can give it some blog attention under a theme I believe in "Programming an S2 in Spin is easier than programming an S1 in PBASIC". I'm not controlling what he posts of course, but giving a bit of influence in his direction is fair enough.
Go ahead, invest in a blog for yourself.
The problem with parallel, but separate, sources of information is that people will instinctively gravitate to one or the other. Since most folks here are more familiar with the forum, using forum threads as a blog index will draw more people to the blog section. At least that's what would attract my attention.
Thanks,
-Phil
an at the same time share with everyone what techy thing im working on .
This is way over my head . . .wish I knew what you were talking about.
--Bill
Phil, that's an excellent point and we'll take your advice so that when Parallax staff produces blog material they x-ref the availability of it in a forum thread. What you're actually pointing out is a concern of mine, too - some kind of fragmentation of content could be introduced via the blogs and dilute the ability of an info-seeker to quickly get where he needs to go. It's similar to adding many forums, which is another detail we need to carefully consider. For this reason we've chosen not to divide the Propeller into multiple forums.
I haven't tried the blog tool yet, but I hope to over the weekend. My initial thoughts are that it will be a place to keep all of my projects. Whether or not this is practical I won't know until I try or somebody else attempts to use it in this manner. - Ken