I left this on Unrulyrus;

there are differences between a general web site, forum, and blog.

a blog allows authors to manage their writings under specific categories and date ranges, as well as allow discussions to occur on a specific post or article via a commenting system.

a blog then allows readers to participate in the conversation of what the author posted. Either by leaving a comment or trackback. Since the conversation is attached to the post, other people can easily follow along and join in.

Static sites and forums don’t really allow for that to happen. It is like reading a news article, it is a one sided conversation, not discussion. Jeremiah does a better job of explaining above. Forums don’t really reach out to others. Also, forums don’t provide permanent links, how could one post in a thread of hundreds be shared? On a blog, all posts, comments, and trackbacks have their own link for sharing.

So when people say a site that doesn’t offer these items native to blogs is the best “blog”, others will expect to come here and be able to discuss each specific article with others and the author, but can not. Not only can they not, but probably will not since many people view forums as closed communities and don’t feel their voice will be heard. This is what a blog tries to prevent by being more open to discussion, but at the same time giving the writer more of an authoritative voice on their post or article, thus encouraging people listen to their view.

There would be no disagreement if this site “won best local website or forum” because that is exactly what it is. But telling others it is a blog when it is not causes confusion, and I, and other, do not want that to happen. That is because we want blog usage to increase, to give more individuals their own voice on the internet.

To better spread the message of Unrulyrus, I would recommend a blog software like WordPress. It manages everything from archiving posts, managing comments, RSS feeds, and user administration. The software is free, runs on PHP like PHPBB, and easy to install and configure. There are also hundreds of free themes that can be installed for a new look and feel.

By opening up the commenting on articles or posts, people outside of this community will more likely be inclined to participate, which would help spread the main message of this site. When that happens, then Unrulyrus will be the best local blog.