The advantages of Blogs over Forums . . .

Moki

What I’ve observed about forums on this and other sites is that a relatively small group of members dominate most of the discussion and as this relatively small group spends more and more time on the forum, the conversations become more abbreviated, less relevant and more like chat sessions with lots of one-liners thrown in. The downside to this is that unless you are spending a lot of time on the forum yourself and meeting a portion of your social or entertainment needs from such interactions, there becomes a lot of irrelevant “stuff” to wade through to find discussion of value or interest. It becomes more like reading a tabloid instead of the New York Times. By the nature of the immediacy of forums, a lot of comments not well-conceived or relevant get posted. Many—perhaps most—individuals just can’t spend the time necessary to wade through even 10% of it.

Well-managed blogs on the other hand, are much more focused and efficient. They can be like a column or an editorial in a newspaper assigned to individuals with particular niches or areas of expertise. Well-conceived essays can be submitted for consideration and chosen for publication. Comments, well-constructed criticisms and questions can be received and reviewed by a moderator who chooses the best for publication. It takes time to moderate and manage a blog system, but in the end, you have something much more valuable and easier to navigate and use. It has a longer shelf life because the quality is there. The downside to blogs is they really don’t satisfy the social needs which some people have and seek out on the Internet.

If I were PCGS, I would be asking myself, “What are the forums providing for the business which is of value to the business and its customers?” I don’t think the primary goal of the PCGS website is to provide a social opportunity for individuals to exercise their freedom of speech in any direction they wish and to otherwise provide a reprieve from everyday boredom. I don’t think it serves PCGS to provide a place for individuals to complain without restriction and slander either PCGS or other individuals with impunity. Yes, any business would be well-served to be open to well-stated and polite criticism or questions, but I’ve seen many individuals complain first about a problem with PCGS in the forums before ever contacting PCGS directly to work out the problem! Many individuals believe that PCGS reads every post—or should read every post—to listen to their complaints and concerns. Frankly, I don’t see how they can practically speaking—in fact, I don’t see how anyone can and get anything else done!

garsmith

kiyote

Cutest icon EVER.

robertpr

Moki, a couple of points. One is that I understand and appreciate what you have written, however, this forum is for discussing coins and not the merits or demerits of online discussion formats. Also, NGC provides blogspace for members' use, so if that's the format you prefer, then perhaps that site would be more suited to your tastes. There is not a lack of options, so your argument is moot.

Moki

Yes, the forums satisfy a need that many users have, there’s no question about that. My question is, do they fulfill a need that PCGS has? After all, they are footing the bill here. You suggest that the forums bring interest to the main website, and I wonder if PCGS has a way of determining if they in fact are doing that and the quality of the business they are bringing. How many regular individuals on the boards are not PCGS customers and have been that way for years? Yes, the point is moot because it’s PCGS’s business and not mine and yes there are alternatives to these forums. But it’s also moot because I sense there is only a very small percentage of Collector’s Universe members who actually use the discussion boards with any regularity. Having said that, yes, I’ve found a lot of very useful information here which I appreciate. There are times however, when I wish I didn’t have to wade through so much irrelevant stuff to find the gems—it’s a question of time management, and I wonder if others have the same experience which is an obstacle in getting straight to the information desired. Having the ability to be able to bypass the one-liners and inside jokes when I’m pressed for time would be a nice option. There are actually versions of forum software which allow you to do essentially that via a grading system. Yes, many enjoy the social interaction open forums provide and there ought to be a place somewhere to fulfill those needs, but does it pay PCGS to provide it?

Just read David Hall's post regarding new forum rules which I appreciate and respect . . .

Longacre

Interesting comments Moki. You seem to write well, too, which does not happen too often in a public forum setting.