WWF as Blog or Article Manager

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   It just occured to me that the only difference between a blog and a forum is the presentation and a couple key features (RSS, pings, etc.).

So I started playing around and realized that it would be very simple to have WWF operate both forum-like and blog-like sections.  The blog-like sections could also serve as a simple article manager if you issue articles on a semi-regular basis, but are not as concerned about the order that they appear in. (You could always create a separate page that did a SQL query and ordered your articles how you want them, or modify how WWF ordered the articles.)

The main differences between a forum and a blog:

Forum posts would be in current WWF format, and blog posts would have the first post styled differently to distinguish that it is the blog post (or article) that everyone should be commenting on (i.e. the first post in a thread would look different that the replies).
Forum areas typically would allow people to start new topics, whereas blogs typically only allow authorized people to start new topics, but allow anyone to comment on the post.
Terminology would be changed for forum and blog sections (or made to be neutral).  Example: in a forum, all posts are posts, whereas in a blog, the first post is a post, and the replies are called comments instead.
RSS feeds on WWF 8 list all new posts including replies, whereas in a blog, there are separate feeds for the blog posts (first post in a topic) and comments (replies to the initial post in a thread).
Trackback and/or pingback are supported in blogs, but not supported in forums.
Forum posts are typically ordered based on the last reply, whereas a blog is typically ordered by the date of the blog post, regardless of when the last reply was.
Other than that, WWF could easily be converted to a forum/blog engine simply by changing the appearance of certain pages.  When I started to play with the idea, I was amazed at how simple it was! (I'll reveal how to do it once I am satisfied with it.  Most of the changes were made in forum_posts.asp, leaving almost everything else intact.)
Borg, You may want to consider adding blog capabilities to the forum (i.e. allow certain sections to be a blog, with blog-like styling and terminology).  I think it would be a great feature. 