A Switch in Focus and a Shift in Gears

It seems that many people may be more comfortable starting threads and discussing topics within a forum than they are posting comments to a typical blog post. Forums are usually less formal and usually not posted to the front page of a web site. Responses may be shorter and less formal.

Also, forum topics are usually less wordy and less complicated than many of the blog posts at faithCommons. The blog posts don't have to be this way—wordy with several links to other content. But I'm afraid I set a precedent, unintentionally, that many may think is expected of them also. Still, essays for blog posts is ok if there is another avenue for less formal discussion. It should be a good mix, actually—to have different kinds of conversations going simultaneously. Anybody with an account can write a blog post and have it show up on the front page. Which may be an obstacle for many. But with little or no activity in the forum, there's little reason to post there. So, we need to get some activity in the forum to attract people who have something to say but don't want to write an essay about it and have it posted on the front page.

A time has come along that allows me less time to devote to my typical wordy blog posts. I still like writing these but I just can't do it much these days. More importantly, I miss discussing with others about their chosen topics. I don't really like being out in the front. And I don't want to see myself every time I look at this site.

On a more personal note; I suffer from severe Fibromyalgia which gets in the way of most everything I want or need to do. Fibromyalgia is different from many other chronic pain disorders in that it is full-body pain and sometimes crushing. Other than chronic physical pain, the worst part about it is that I am a workaholic, usually with several projects going at the same time—or at least I used to be. While this is may be the original cause of the disease, it is also part of my personality that I won't easily part with. But it's time to shift to a lower gear.

Over the next few weeks faithCommons will get a software upgrade and some needed housekeeping. Taking advantage of new software features, the layout will change also to, hopefully, make content easier to find and navigation more intuitive.

So, the plan is to make conversation easier and more inviting by using the forum more while still inviting blog posts. I will do less writing—as I have since mid summer—and more contributing to other people's ideas. The site will get an improved layout with a front page that guides visitors to content without overwhelming them with verbiage.

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