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"Biertourist":1szzbsg8 wrote: so what is it that you get out of the comments?[/quote:1szzbsg8]It's exactly the same as I get out of forums like this one: feedback from other people and the opportunity to feedback on their writing too. The blogosphere is just a big, decentralised, web forum. I mean, you wouldn't start a thread if you didn't want people replying to it.

"Biertourist":1szzbsg8 wrote: I was kind of shocked by the idea that a "closed" BLOG would be missing out on some of the primary benefits of having a BLOG at all. -Can you expand upon this idea? [/quote:1szzbsg8]A blog without comments is called a "website". Websites also don't follow the chronological "newsy" structure of a blog. It could be what you need is a website, not a blog.

The positive side of comments is that you get people telling you what you missed out on along the way. You can set the comments up so that you have to read and approve them if you would like.

I think it is a good place for your readers to suggest something relevant, i.e. you did a blog about pubs in Dublin and left out b&c, one of your commenters will sort you out. (hopefully in a nice way) It's a good way for you to learn more from the experience.

I reckon from a learning about blogging one of the best people is Yaro Starak (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="www.entrepreneurs-journey.com">www.entrepreneurs-journey.com) Though he focuses more on making money than setting up, I know that if you search the site he's got some handy video's to get you started.

Best of luck getting it all set up and let us know so that we can leave our comments (or not! Whichever you decide!)

On the things to do list I'd say get your own domain and use wordpress, it can be very cheap and you can control the ad's. i.e none if you want or some that pay you and not someone else...

I think I'm slowly getting it...

(I WAS basically just thinking of a blog as a super-easy to manage website that basically comes with free website management software that prevents you from doing dumb things and I wasn't really thinking of the other social aspects in my mental definition.)

Thinking of my blog as my own individual forum on a message board, and thinking of the entire "blogosphere" as a giant, global, decentralized message board I think helps me think of it more accurately.

It definitely makes it less clear when to post on a discussion forum and when to post to a blog, but I think I get it (at least more than I did before).


(Not sure if I want all the hassle of a blog, or just a simple website to document static content now, but I do really appreciate all the feedback and everyone straightening me out.)

Adam