Common Craft Blog
A Blog Post Says "Here It Is, Dig It"
By leelefever on June 06, 2005 - 6:05pm
A while back I posted about the differences between message boards and blogs. Being that it was one of my most popular posts ever (and something I use in meetings often), I still think about the differences.
It's so interesting to me how their respective design and semantic differences send messages regarding their use. Here are some examples and other thoughts...
- A blog post says “Here it is, dig itâ€
- A message board post says “your turnâ€
- Comment implies “if you want, not requiredâ€
- Reply implies “I’m not done until you do.â€
More in the same vein:
- A blog is my back yard
- A message board is a park
- A blog has readers
- A message board has lurkers
- A blog is all about ME
- A message board is all about US
- When things go quiet on a blog, the onus is on one person
- When things go quite on a message board, the onus is on everyone
A Blog Post Says "Here It Is, Dig It"
I like your "semantic differences" - it's a good way to look at the interaction with these blog/forum tools at a more human/social level than the technical description of a "post".
Some of what you are getting at also could be described in terms of semantics in relation to time. So, a blog establishes a time-series of events around the blog author's definition of time, vs a forum establishing a time-series of events around a group of participants' shared definition of time (within the constraints defined by the forum moderator).
Somewhat related, perhaps of interest:
EntryCatalog is the beginning of a catalog of different types of blog entries, in relation to time.
Group voice and wiki aesthetic brings wikis into the mix with blogs and forums.
A Blog Post Says "Here It Is, Dig It"
Lee,
As always, I think these posts of your add to the conversation and provide lots of valuable ways to discuss the differences between the two online forms.
In this instance though I think your comments about blogs have focused on the idea of a blog as an individual endevour and not blogs that tell the story of a community from it's members.