Poll: Replacing Blog Comments with Forum Posts

Category Uncategorized

Hey guys,

Thank you for engaging in the comments section so passionately. There’s now some amazing discussions happening on this site thanks to you guys. It is truly a joy for me to engage with all of you.

What I’m finding is that since I like to post so often (yeah, sometimes I talk a lot… ), your wonderful comments get shoved down into the abyss, never to be heard from again.

As a remedy to this issue, I’ve noticed some popular sites like Steve Pavlina replacing blog comments with a forum.

I’m considering doing the same thing here and I’d like to get your input before I do so. Here’s the benefits I see to each option:

Blog Comments:

The comments are displayed immediately following the post, right on the same page.
It’s easy to fire off a comment right on the spot.
It doesn’t require that you register an account if you’re a first-time poster.

Forum Discussions:

Discussions will stick around and we can continue our discussions long after I’ve tossed another series of posts up on the main page.
Allows you guys to new start topics rather than relying on just the topics I address on the blog.
Much easier access to quoting others and better formatting than on the blog.
Much easier to start a new discussion after a conversation brings up new ideas in the blog comments so that it doesn’t get all mashed up together.
You guys are very wise and creative and I enjoy giving you the floor, allowing the opportunity for you to shine if you so desire.
It’ll stimulate more forum discussion.
When you go to the forums, you’ll likely find other topics right on the spot that you’d want to engage with.
Point new readers to a whole treasure trove of awesomeness which they may have otherwise overlooked.
I’m not sure how many forums there are dedicated solely to enlightenment and so I’d like to have one up and running.

What Do You Prefer? Vote Below.

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If you have more to add, feel free to do so in the forums.

Continued Discussion | 3 Forum Comments

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14 Responses to “Poll: Replacing Blog Comments with Forum Posts”

Psiplex said:

Just force of habit to respond right after the post -seems natural and quick. Would explore the Forum option too as not to discount its viability. Thank you Ariel for even considering adding this type of functionality. Love what you are doing with YATL and the great vibe and energy that goes into it from you and all the beautiful folks who contribute!

One Love

Psiplexs last blog post..10 Things You Should Know About Nobody
Jay Schryer said:

I like the idea of forums, but the one thing that I don’t like about them is having to register. I have so many accounts at different online sites, for work, for personal use, for everything else, that I just don’t feel like registering myself anymore. So even though I spend a lot of time lurking in forums, I almost never post in them.

That being said, I do think that forums are a much better way to have multiple conversations and more “true” interactivity.

Jay Schryers last blog post..The Glory of Love

Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Yeah, great point. I’ve made the “Blog comments” section of the forum open for posting without registration. Thank you for the suggestion Jay.
CaterpillarWoman said:

I prefer forums. I like the way Steve Pavlina’s site is set up. Commenters (i.e., forum users) can discuss with each other more easily, and the blog author (in that case, Steve) can respond or participate as he wishes. Good system, in my opinion.

I find blog commenting is not all that conducive to actual conversation. Seems to me to be the difference between a text message and a phone call!

CaterpillarWomans last blog post..Point of View

Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
haha, great analogy.
LaBelleDominique said:

I much prefer commenting directly on the blog.
Ismaelia said:

I like the spontaneity of the blog. I tend to get a lttle lost on the forum. Maybe you could somehow transfer each blog post to the forum after a certain amout of time. That way you could have both and we would have easy access to the old blogs on the forum if we were inclined to go back to them at any time or for any reason. The blog coversations could cotinue on the forum. I don’t know much about the workings of these things. Is this at all possible?
What ever you decide I’ll be there with you. This site is so very helpful to me.
Lots of love and bliss!

Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Yeah, I know what you mean.

It’d be nice to have some sort of cross-posting between the forums and the comments section, but once I start getting into user registration issues and whatnot, it’s a challenge.

Both are enabled for now, but I don’t think I can copy the comments over to the forums without manually copying and pasting for hours and hours on end. It’d be nice if it could be automated somehow.
Nadia - Happy Lotus said:

Hi Ariel,

It really makes no difference. I am just happy to have the opportunity to talk with people who have similar interests. I will admit that commenting on a blog post is easier but just do what works best for you and people will adapt. Then again, I am the eternal optimist! So you may want to ingnore that last bit of advice!

Hope all is well!

Nadia – Happy Lotuss last blog post..How To Be Green Without Spending Too Much Money: An Interview with Renée Loux
Lissa said:

Nice idea!
preeti said:

I prefer forum. It makes easier to comment and interact with author and others.
It is preference but all is fine with me.
Go ahead with your own intution
Lynde said:

I know there is a add on which integrate phpbb and wordpress – so you don’t necessarily have to go with one or the other solution

http://www.alfredodehoces.com/wp2bb/

Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
That’s outstanding. Thank you VERY much for the suggestion Lynde. It’s just what I was looking for and so much easier than manually trying to make it all happen.

I’ve installed that plugin and it’s now live.
Lynde said:

Sounds good

Actually I thought it worked in a different way – where it is possible to both add a comment below the post and also in the forum. And then they both would be updated, but that might not be the case.

Maybe there is a different plug in for that