User Profile Blogs?

[Austin]

One of the things I wanted to implement is user profile blogs. They would let users to host blogs on their profiles for various topics they would like share. I personally may write a few coding/tech blogs/tutorials, opinionated blogs, etc. We have users who like to share off their writing and artistic styles in threads. For the most part, boards and threads work okay with this. However, with tech/coding tutorials, blogs, etc, boards/threads won't be feasible. We would be making boards for all these various topics, and blogs aren't really something you can start a thread over. Blogs can be fun, and I can see users really liking this idea. We have a very opinionated group of users.

However, there are things to consider. One is moderation. Obviously we'll have to moderate these blogs. Users could be posting offensive material. I'm really curious to see what the moderators have to say. I hope that most of our users would responsible and report any offensive blogs. This can ease the job of moderation, but not eliminate it.

Another thing to consider is how many of you will use it? I personally think users will like it and use it a lot, but I may be wrong. As a user, would you guys use it? What kind of things would you write about?

 

[Hero of Time]

I would like it. Maybe we could post about our personal life without getting too specific. Also, what if we made a blog section in the forum and each person could make a thread for their own and post for updates. Just a thought.

 

[Baysiderulez]

I think it sounds like a pretty awesome idea, those who want to participate can, and those who don't wouldn't have to.

For me personally... I would probably write a few helpful "how to get your thread off the ground" type topics, or perhaps topics on my different areas of expertise. Overall just sharing experiences of how things have affected me and my life (as well as reading about how things have affected others in their life) is helpful in learning more about others and in becoming better people over all.

 

[PhantomTriforce]

Justin, I think this is a wonderful idea. Blogs for every user, in my opinion, would be a great idea. I would right about things that I just threw in a thread because I couldn't find a better place to fit it. For example, I might write the plot for a Zelda game if I were to create one. I would also post some pictures I might want to share, possibly from albums, things that I find interesting, etc. I would also link to things outside Zelda that I might be interested in. Perhaps sports, or clubs of different types. If anyone is involved in groups, I think this would be a neat place to discuss them also. Of course, every now and then, something will get abused, but that is the inevitable. I think I'll just leave that part up to our moderation team. I also think these blogs might work like an advances visitor messaging system. Of course, I would still want to be in touch with other members and have regular conversations with them like I would with the VM system. Also, I think people can organize things in a particular way so that they like it. So in all, I am for this advancement.

 

[Kybyrian]

I personally wouldn't participate in blogs much, but I'm all for the idea. The idea of moderation seems a bit difficult, but users being able to report inappropriate blogs would be okay. It's not something I would personally keep an open eye out for, though. It's like moderating user profiles... you don't go around searching for users making inappropriate blogs. Reporting would be the best way of moderation for the blogs. If people will actually use it I can see it as being very useful and well-liked among quite a few users.

 

[Din Akera]

This is an interesting idea. I will say though, I do not blog, nor have I ever read a blog, so it is not something I'm overly knowledgeable about. I certainly see good use of it. It could be used as a journal (probably what i would use it for), but there are many other applications for it. People would post fan work on their blogs i would think as well. THis might have a negative impact on the fan-works section. I don't know if that is a concern for the forum or not, but it is something to think about.

I would probably begin to use it slowly. As long as it was optional i think it would be something neat to integrate into profiles. Though, it might be overwhelming upon sign up. Maybe it could be something that could be turned on or off in settings?

All in all, i think it is a good plan.

 

[Locke]

Hm. Looks like I'm the only person who voted no, so I guess that means I'm obligated to explain myself.

First, I probably wouldn't use it. I've never blogged before, and it just doesn't appeal to me. If I feel that an idea/opinion of mine is not worthy of being posted in a thread, then it is not worthy of being on the internet. And if I think an idea is worth being on the internet, I would post it in a thread where it is more likely to be seen.

From a moderation standpoint, I would find it annoying to have to deal with more personal content that doesn't have to do with Zelda, which is a more defined topic. However, even now I only focus on a few of the Zelda sections, so I probably wouldn't have to worry about it. What Kybyrian said about reporting is true, and I don't think it would be too much trouble to respond to a few more reported posts.

With that, I'm not totally against it, it's just not something that I want. If the members want it (which they obviously do), then by all means add it.

 

[Vanessa28]

Sounds like a great idea. In this case people can write what is on their minds or they can write about their own visions like an article or something. Yeah moderation would be difficult because people will get a feeling they can't do their own things anymore but most members are mature enough to use it properly. And indeed there is the report option. Yes I'm in for it.

 

[Petman1325]

I'll admit it, I used to be a blogger until I stopped to focus more on ZD and be able to actually play games. Having the ability to post blogs on one's user profile would actually be a great idea. My only issue, though, is that it could be a well in which users place all of their creativity into, then come actual posting in ZD time, they're fresh out of ideas for threads and such.

I'm not going to lie, I went through that phase. I think all of the older members have gone through that at one point, but now I'm getting off topic, so I shall continue.

Moderation for this would be interesting. Typically, I can't recall any of us checking out the individual photo albums and user groups for inappropriate materials and encourage the users to use that report button. Since we have hundreds of members, perhaps we should encourage that feature to save us from snoping through hundreds, if not thousands of these blogs. So, in short, I'm all on board for this.

 

[Austin]

Here is my anticipation with moderation. It's not going to be a huge problem. There are two things I would worry about. One is posting porngraphic or adult pictures. Users already have the ability to post pictures, and we haven't had problems with this. The second is posting hate or offensive blogs. I don't really see this a big problem because no-one gives me a vibe they'll do it, and if they were the type to do so they have been already banned. The worse thing I see is spam bots using it to post their links in which I've go through a daily process of checking newly registered users, and I also get a lot of help from members reporting. That being said, I don't see a concern with moderators having to manually read through user profile blogs. These blogs will be more lenient with rules as they're not publicly seen from our forum index.

However, I'm the type to consider worse case scenarios (a feature learn as a Computer Scientist). We get 10-15 offensive bloggers. It's becoming a hassle for to moderate, but a lot of members really enjoy it. I would seclude the ability to use the blogging feature for SB users and higher. Most of our SB users are the better portion of the forum users. The moderation will drop considerably. If it gets worse then this (which I highly doubt), we can remove the feature all together.

On a side note: If you see misspellings in my threads or posts, please VM/PM me! I would be very thankful! lol

 

[ケンジ]

This will make things more interesting dude. Do it!

Reading blogs gives me impressions of what people think or feel, so it kinda let's me know what kind of person they are. And I use blogs, though I haven't posted a blog in awhile, but it'll be good to know that your planning to use it. Though what you say about pornographic blogs or offensive blogs will be a problem, you could implement specific blog rules, put a character limit like 1000 characters only.
One problem you forgot is the blog feature MIGHT cause stress with the servers. Before the recent server crash, I remember the site crashed about a year ago, I think, and some posts and threads were unrecoverable due to the SB posts causing stress over the server.

Of course, I might be mistaken for this, since I'm not much of a computer geek. Another suggestion of mine is you make a small group whose soul purpose is to watch over the blogs, but if you have extra staff members, then your good. If you need help, I can if you like.

 

[dur.i.am]

Hm. Looks like I'm the only person who voted no, so I guess that means I'm obligated to explain myself.

First, I probably wouldn't use it. I've never blogged before, and it just doesn't appeal to me. If I feel that an idea/opinion of mine is not worthy of being posted in a thread, then it is not worthy of being on the internet. And if I think an idea is worth being on the internet, I would post it in a thread where it is more likely to be seen.

From a moderation standpoint, I would find it annoying to have to deal with more personal content that doesn't have to do with Zelda, which is a more defined topic. However, even now I only focus on a few of the Zelda sections, so I probably wouldn't have to worry about it. What Kybyrian said about reporting is true, and I don't think it would be too much trouble to respond to a few more reported posts.

With that, I'm not totally against it, it's just not something that I want. If the members want it (which they obviously do), then by all means add it.

I personally agree with Locke, maybe you can make it an option to have it on your profile page? It's not something that I really want on my profile, and it's not something I'd ever use just because of the fact that I've never thought that blogging was a good idea, hence why I've never used one before. I think that if I wanted to post something that badly, I'd do what Locke said and post it in a thread. I'm also not totally against it, but it's not something I'd really like.

 

[Beeker]

Hmmm, a blog? That would be an interesting idea. I'm not sure how often I'd use it, but I'm sure other members on here will. It could be used as something to see what's on our mind, if something is, and we want to talk about it and if it doesn't really belong on the forum. Hopefully it doesn't take too much away from the boards.

So yeah, why not try it out? I may give it a go if it is added on. I think it could be a good addition if it is used right. ^^

 

[Meego]

I think this would be a great idea! I think it would assist the Anniversary Thread in eliminating leaving/joining threads and other personal threads. I think with every step to take to improve ZD there will be a few bad things about it, like the pictures and the off topic blogs. Even though this forum is for discussing Zelda, I don't think there should be a huge problem with posting a bit about our personal lives though, and there will be useful blogs with Zelda subjects or tutorials and things.

So...Yes! Good idea.

 

[Kazumi]

In theory, User Blogs would be a great idea. It would allow users more freedom in what to post, and would hopefully drag all of the useless drama off of the forum. However, I just don't think they would be worth it.

Even though people may write their own blogs, I doubt that many people would actually go and read blogs. It doesn't seem like a feature that would get very much use, especially for something that would obviously put a strain on the moderators. I agree with Locke in saying that mods shouldn't have to moderate people's personal drama or blogs or whatever. That isn't their job. They are here to moderate Zelda discussion.

Lastly, it could draw away from the forums. Maybe if they do get used a lot their wouldn't be as much discussion for certain topics in the main forums, and if only Shoutbox Users are allowed to use Blogs like Justin suggested, then new members may not see as much discussion going on. Just a thought.

So no, I don't believe they are necessary.