I've written on this before, but since I had the opportunity to answer a question about it again recently, I thought we'd take another look at it from "a certain point of view"....

It seems to me that sometimes we can confuse two things simply because they appear to have similarities. So we group them together, even make them interchangeable. But just because something may be made from the same things, or part of a larger general group, doesn't make them the same.

Take, for instance, our old unlikey pairing of pals, R2-D2 and C3PO. 'Droids. Same thang, right?

Both are essentially cybernetic beings. Robots.
Both are made of wires and metal and glass and plastic.
Both have artificial intelligence.
Both have inhuman abilities.
Both emulate human traits.
Both were manufactured to serve human masters.
Both were seen throughout the entire saga.
Both have names made of letters and numbers....

But since they're both "'droids", does that make them the same?

Is Artoo a fussy protocol 'droid prone to fits of trepidation and complaint?

Is Threepio a squatty rotund astromech 'droid with a feisty demeanor, poor human communication abilities, known for bouts of foul binary blue streaks and for being proficient at fixing things in a crisis?

Is Artoo known for his diplomatic abilities and knowledge of cultures and languages?

Has Threepio been known to bust out all sorts of handy kit (Kit: noun - Accesories and tools - see usage as defined by Star Wars author and general kit guru Karen Traviss) like oil slicks, rocket packs, saws, arc welders, data jacks, claws, spring-loaded secret compartments and a holo-emitter?

Would you ever hear an extremely rude rasberry noise emenate from Threepio's vocoder?

What about Artoo arguing with Han about odds?

Threepio willfully folded up in the rumble seat of Luke's X-wing?

Artoo admitting he's been known to be wrong...from time to time?

These are both 'droids. They're both clever, resourceful, funny, and loyal. But are they the same? Not so much...

What about, then, our two electronic pals: Blogs and Message Boards? They may seem like the same thing, but are they? Not so much...

So what are they for, how do you use them, why are they so different?

Message Boards:
The message boards are for discussions. The term "thread" means Discussion Thread - a series of posted statements, and replies to those statements, and replies to those, and so on and so on.

A message board thread can have thousands of replies. If you have something to say that's relevant to a discussion, then just post a reply or a question in that thread.

For instance...

Let's say you have a question about who was winning during the duel between Palpatine and Mace. That duel took place during Episode III, so you would first go to where you would find threads about Episode III. Looking at all of the board categories on the main page for the Forums, you would start to select where to go. To discuss Episode III, you would want to look under the Films category. After clicking on Films (you can expand the section from the main page as well by clicking the "+" box on the right), you would then find the Episode III Forum.

Once there, what to do? A lot of people mess this step up. They think the first thing to do is post a new topic, but that's wrong. What you have to remember is that with hundreds of thousands posters, even millions of fans annually that come through the boards, it's probably been thought of. Whatever topic you want to discuss is most likely arlready being discussed. But that doesn't mean you can't add a new thought to the discussion. Something that everyone remembers from Episode III such as the Palpy vs. Mace duel would most certainly be such a topic So Starting a new topic will splinter the discussion needlessly and cause confusion and redundancy, but adding to it just makes it more enriching for everyone. So you look for the existing one. How?

The Thread Directory.

At the top of nearly every forum, there is a Directory of Existing Topics known as a Thread Directory. For instance, the Episode III forum has an Episode III Thread Directory pinned to the top of the forum. In that thread directory are again sub-categories, such as characters (like Mace and Palpatine), or locations (like Utapau and Tatooine), or organizations (like Jedi or Sith or Clone Troopers, etc). In the thread directory, then, you will find this thread: Mace vs. Palpatine [TDE]*

(* What is "[TDE]"? It means "Thread Directory Entry", which indicates this topic is a major focal point of discussion, and is listed therefore in the Thread Directory)

Once you enter this thread, you don't have to read all of it. You might read the very first post. You get there by using the navigation links at the top of the thread, that look like this:

454 pages in this thread 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 > >>

If you want to get to the first page, just click on the "1". If you want to go to the last page, click on the two arrows that look like a "fast forward" symbol ">>".

Then go back, read perhaps the last 10 or so posts so that you understand what people are currently discussing about Mace vs. Palpatine so that you can join in, or simply post your question just like you did here. Just hit the "Reply" button and start typing.

Now, if you look through the Thread Directory in a forum, and perhaps back a couple of pages in the topic lists, and you don't find the topic you want to discuss and you're certain it belongs in that forum, then you can start a new topic by posting a new thread. Sometimes, even with your best investigative efforts, you may still end up posting a redundant thread. Don't worry about it, a certain amount of that is normal and frequent. A moderator will come by, lock your thread, but in the process point you in the right direction.

And this is important: Don't stress about it, it's just traffic directing. Pay it no more heed than if a police officer waves you through the intersection or tells you to stop for passing cars in the other direction. All part of life in the big cyber-city. If you end up doing it a lot, a mod may have a chat with you, but if you're nice and you listen, it's no big whoop. And if any other poster gives you too much grief, ask a moderator in Forum Feedback to look into it. We want everyone treated with respect.

It's very easy to use the message boards, and you can bounce around from topic to topic discussing a wide variety of SW things, plus discuss non-SW topics (like news, sports, funny things) in the Cantina forum.

Blogs:
Now, how is that different from Blogs? Good question. The term "Blog" is short for "Web Log", which is a collection of your frequent writings. They might look similar to the boards in some ways, but they are very different. Yes, Blogs have a freeform space with no limit on characters (that's an important point). Yes, Blogs have reply spaces (limit 750 characters, and only 50 replies per blog - that too is important).

Why is it on the message boards you have 1000 character limits per post, but virtually unlimited replies? Because its for short statements, questions and answers. Why are the blogs unlimited space for topics, but only 50 replies, and only 750 characters per reply? Because Blogs are not for short statements, questions and answers. They are more like articles that you write to share your thoughts, or events, or theories, or a personal journal of sorts.

The message board threads completely rely on responses for success. Not so with blogs. Blogs are more "one-way".

Here's an analogy..

Message boards threads are sort of like someone making a telephone call. Someone answers on the other end. Someone else joins this party line. And someone else, all answering the original phone call, but adding new interesting discussion value as it goes along. A message board thread is a conversation, then.

Blogs are more like a speech or a press conference. You step up to the podium and speak into the microphone. Everyone listens. You might be asking questions, but really you are posing some of your own answers. Or you are making an announcement, or delivering news. At the end of your speech, the reporters have things to say, or questions to ask about what you had to say. A Blog, then, is like an address to everyone. It does not rely on people saying anything at the end of it. A blog is not for short Question and Answers, and it is not made simply to get replies. It is made to say something that is important or interesting to you.

That's why blog entries give you unlimited space to say whatever you want to say in your "speech", but only provide space for 50 replies, and 750 characters per reply. The replies, in blogs, are a secondary concern - they aren't nearly as important as the blog entry.

On the message boards, however, replies are everything.

So again, you have to ask yourself when you are posting a blog "Am I posting this just so that I can answer a short question? Am I posting this just to get replies?" If so, you should probably go to the message boards.

Because posting a blog entry to ask a very short question and answer is like gathering your audience together for a speech or a press conference, stepping up to the podium, clearing your throat and asking "Where's the bathroom?" into the microphone. That's not what the podium is for, see.

Generally, blogs are essays 100 to 300 words in length. That's not to say that if you find a very interesting link to a news story, or to a Star Wars event, you can't post a short blurb and say "Hey, look at this" and explain briefly why its so cool. In that sense, your "content" is in that link. I wouldn't just post one line about it, but it also doesn't have to be Tolstoy either. You could post a short 30 word explanation, and link off to something interesting. That's fine.**

(**As long as its not overly self-promotional in nature. I wouldn't start linking to your own websites all the time to promote clubs or products or services, in other words. That can be construed as "spam". I have my own company website and I'd love to link to it here all the time, but that would be spamming, and that's against the rules. You can, however, link to your own writings on your own site, or someone else's. That's no problem.)

And if you have a question or statement about the way blogs themselves work, or about how the message boards themselves work, then you would take blog concerns to Blog Feedback, and Message Board concerns to Forum Feedback. And you may also find a wealth of information in the "Frequently Asked Questions" link at the top of every Message Board page.

One more important point on the usage of the Blogs and Message Boards. On the Message Boards, you can post as many times as you like, or (within reason) start as many unique topics as you like. On the Blogs, you'll notice there is a percentage meter in the upper left hand side of your blog. That means you only have so much "Blog Space", and each time you post a new entry, you use some of it up. The good news is, even if you use all 100% of your space, you can simply delete old entries that you may not want any more, or copy them to store elsewhere so that you can free up space again.

I wanted to pose these ideas again in a slightly different perspective, and to give the message boards a little more explanation. Some of you have logged on for the first time and know everything from the Blogs point of view, but have never tried the message boards. Lots of other folks, like me, are old Forums veterans, and don't know all there is to blogging.

It's important to know the potentials and the differences, I think. I'd say it is as important as the difference between Artoo and Threepio. Because if you think about it, no one would dare ask Threepio to go stand on the hull of a Naboo cruiser while running a blockade and expect him to fix a shield generator. You'd get a totally neurotic cognitive cascade failure in seconds, followed shortly by brilliant bits of silver and gold plating fragments in high orbit. And no one would expect Artoo to translate for a highly sensitive ambasadorial delegation. You'd have a diplomatic incident followed by a possible smoke screen as a diversionary tactic as he made his escape through the resulting laser crossfire.

Blogs and Boards, like Threepio and Artoo, are very useful, and very important, electronic devices full of personality of their own kind. Both would have a lot to offer you at the right time. But if you mix em up when you need em, you definitely don't get the full benefits.

DM out