Blogs Question

[expanda]

Hi all, on our site currently we have a blogs section available to all members where you can create your own blogs when you are on your travels etc.

Since the creation of the site its not something that has attracted alot of usage from members and I was curious as to whether this is because the design of the blogs is poor.

And then in turn if we moved to offer something like "Wordpress" and integrated this style of blogging software with our site would people use it more?

Or even still are people happy to just post trip reports and remove the blogs functionality all together to reduce confusion for new members?

I have put a quick poll if you get a chance I would be interested to hear your comments.

Thanks!

 

[Brad]

I like seeing everything everyone is doing in one long list.
So I use the what's new button most of all. It's nice to read a technical question and then a trip report and then perhaps an opinion on weather blogs VS trip reports are better.

 

[expanda]

I like seeing everything everyone is doing in one long list.
So I use the what's new button most of all. It's nice to read a technical question and then a trip report and then perhaps an opinion on weather blogs VS trip reports are better.

Hehehehehe

Although we couldn't link the "What's New" function to the wordpress install we could have a seperate feed / post in the trip reports section every time a new blog is added !

 

[Bushman]

Must admit I usually dont go to blogs unless for some reason it attracts my attention

I usually just post reports.

 

[cruza driver]

I do the same as Bushman.

 

[Cootay]

Didn't realise there was a blog section, created one using blogspot (first one I came across) so interstate and OS relo's could check out our adventures, and for us too, one day the rugrats might want to look back on what we've done

 

[chartrock]

I'm the same as Bushman and CD. I tried a blog once and screwed it up so have used normal posts ever since for trip reports.

 

[Moto Moto]

Never paid much attention to the blogs myself, just the posts.

 

[expanda]

Hmmm interesting...

So maybe we just disable the blogs?

 

[Brad]

Hmmm interesting...

So maybe we just disable the blogs?

Sounds like it. Does it make it any easier for you to support?

 

[expanda]

It will reduce load on the server which is not really a big deal at the moment but does still help.

I think overall it will reduce confusion as I am often seeing newcomers to the site making a blog post when they thought they where making a forum post as it can be quite confusing which is which using the site for the first time.

That's why I had the initial thought of splitting the two completely so it was clear what each one was which but keeping a single login cross sites.

It also assists in sizing up the replacement for the forum software which is going to take place in the first half of 2013 as currently VBulletin is really the only software that offers blogs and forums in one.

So if blogs is no longer needed then it opens the door for other software as I am not really liking VBulletin 5 at the moment.

 

[straydingo]

Must admit I usually dont go to blogs unless for some reason it attracts my attention

same here - most of the time I forget they're there.....

 

[expanda]

OK well that was easy enough...

I have turned them off temporarily unless some one would like them back on!