Would You Use a Built in Blogging System

Would You Use Built-in Blogging System?

  • Yes, I know a lot of people would use it.

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • I wouldn't use it, but I'm sure others might.

    Votes: 2 25.0%

  • Maybe, I'd at least check it out.

    Votes: 2 25.0%

  • I'd use it, but I don't think other will.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No, I don't think anyone would be interested.

    Votes: 3 37.5%
  • Total voters
    8
Digital Jedi

Digital Jedi

Administrator
Staff member
vBulletin provides a blog add-on for vBulletin which allows members to each have their own blog area. This is the only paid add-on, officially supported and developed by vBulletin, unlike the free third party modifications we currently have installed. So this is why I've been debating for some time, if the time is right for me to purchase this.

I already know what some of you are thinking. What possible benefit would a blog have for our site? I'll give you a few reasons.

Personalization: For one, your blogs are your blogs. You get to discuss whatever you want, whenever you want and with whoever you want. The blogs are fully functional and work with most of our posting features, including AME, so you'd get to post videos, share your experiences at your last regional, share your thoughts or just post a daily journal.

Discussion: Since folks can comment, this opens up areas for further discussion on a wide range of subjects.

Announcements: Most sites have their own Official Blog, which they use for site announcements. You would be able to use your blog for your featured subject. Affiliates, this would be a way for you to get fancy with featured content or updates about your site or services. The Featured Blog tool would allow me to pick groups to rotate as featured when entering the main blog page.

Shiny: As blogging is becoming more and more credible a form of exchanging information, the feature adds one more reason to draw gamers to our site.


Here's the official websites description of some of Blog features:

http://www.vbulletin.com/features_blog.php

Fast Start
vBulletin Blog makes it simple for community members to create their own space within the community. Getting started is as simple as posting the first message (using the same familiar vBulletin editor). There is no lengthy setup process - blog owners are free to personalise their blog at any time by defining a title and a description that will appear at the top of every blog post.

Fully Featured
It is a feature-rich blog application, with support for fully formatted WYSIWYG posts, attachments, comments, trackbacks and pingbacks, draft posts and categories, as well as seamless integration with the overall vBulletin system.

Blog Home Page
Available via a single click from any vBulletin page, the blog home page aggregates activity from all member blogs into a single page – with information about the most recent and highest rated blog posts, recent comments, a featured blog post (selected by the administrator or at random), full support for browsing posts by date and overall blogging statistics.

Syndication and Subscriptions
Site wide and per-blog RSS feeds allow syndication to external readers, and full support for vBulletin subscriptions enables users to join their favorite blogs and receive regular email updates.

Profile Support
Member blogs are integrated with the vBulletin profile system – profile information is displayed alongside blog posts, and existing profile pages are enhanced with information about blog activity.

Blog Control Panel
The Blog Control Panel empowers members to control every aspect of their blogs, from permission controls (who has access to view and comment on the blog), to full management of blog categories, draft posts, trackbacks/pingbacks and subscriptions. Blog owners also have the ability to moderate comments on their own blog.
Click to expand...


Blog Demo
 
Blogs are essentially online journals or diaries, though that's somewhat simplifies what a lot of them are. The author posts in it as frequently as he wants, his posts always show at the top of the page, and other people can comment on the entries.

In some cases, it's just personal rants and thought, much like what a diary would look like. These days folks take it more seriously then that and post on specific subjects or things of interest. One of the blogs I frequent is set up by former Disney and Pixar professionals who critique modern day Disney for some of it'sun-Walt-like principles. Another I visit is devoted to thoughts on how to restore EPCOT to it's former glory. News blogs are huge right now and many major news outlets have blogs set up for their reporters. Ariana Huffington of the Huffington Post probably has one of the most famous news blogs out there. Still another blog might just be an artists sketch book, while another might just be poetry or writings. Pretty much the sky's the limit when it comes to such things. As I mentioned before, vBulletin uses their own blogging system to post official software updates.
 
Personally, I wouldn't use such a feature. I have a LiveJournal (functioning as a diary), which I abandoned ages ago due to a lack of being bothered to keep it updated. I don't see why it would be any different here for me. I just don't have much to talk about, certainly not for a blog when a forum post/topic could probably do the same thing.
 
DJ this might seem like a good feature but as I have expressed before such addons just add useless bloat to the site that eventually turns people away. Right now this is becoming the windows vista of yugioh sites.
 
Right. Blogs would be more suited to forums with lots of 12-year-olds using it. It's just not necessary here. Sorry.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top