Blog within a Forum

[rossmilstein]

Thank you in advance.
I will be adding a forum to my site, which will also have a blog.

I also want a place which will have written content that will not always be well written. It is important that comments are always off. I am not sure yet on the sharing function. Anyway, I want this to be a safe place where the quality of writing will not be criticized if it not good. One troll can really upset everything. I thought maybe it could go within a forum as the posts cannot be co-mingled with the other “standard” posts on the website.

Any ideas? I don’t want to overcomplicate things, but it is essential that the “non-standard” posts or the authors are not diminished in any way.

Thank you.
:Coach Ross

[JNashHawkins]

A forum just doesn’t amount to much without being open to comments. And some of those comments are going to be ‘rude’ to some extent.

Something like Press Forward would allow members to post ‘blog posts’ that could then be moderated up to a blog where comments are not allowed. That would work for actual blog posts but you’ll wind up with a lot of posts that you or your moderators won’t feel are acceptable for the blog which would probably stifle the further posting by that person.

Press Forward allows ‘internal comments’ and discussion like a bunch of editors would use to bring a rough draft up to where it would ‘fit into the style of the publication’.

I think the best bet would be to let the blog run with minimal moderation and any comments to be subject to a ‘Be Nice, Be Respectful’ admonishment which should be enforced by moderating the individual commenters.

I’d be more concerned with the spam that open blogs and forums attract.

If you’re trying to encourage budding writers to begin writing ‘semi-professionally’ I’d probably lean more toward teaching the writers the tools needed such as blogging somewhere free to start.

Show them how to develop a ‘style’ and working within a popular ‘book of style’.

I’d teach about spell checking and using tools such as Grammarly (which is fussing at me continuously while trying to take my poor writing efforts to an acceptable level).

Here’s a PDF of a book of style I sometimes refer to myself. Though I think some of the manglings of language is part of what enlarges our written method of expression.

A language needs to grow.

I’m a country boy from Virginia who can really abuse the written and spoken word when I want to.

[rossmilstein]

The population I am working to protect is one with various disabilities and/or special needs. I may want to put the blog behind a password, I’m not sure yet.
I will definitely look into Press Forward.

Thank you.

[JNashHawkins]

Well let me know if you need more help.

BTW: Is this a non-profit?

[rossmilstein]

I will ultimately be setting up a non-profit in a year or so.
Right now I am a startup and looking to give a voice to the disadvantaged.
It is so hard to find the right words without offending someone.
Thank you JNashHawkins!