Formatting the Blog

I just changed the blog a bit so that it would be a bit easier to go back and read. First I changed it so that more posts would show on the front page. Also, I changed it so that the blog archives monthly, instead of weekly.

I think most blogs archive monthly. If a blog is very big, it certainly makes it easier to go back and read and keep track of what you have and haven't read. Each section contains the posts that were posted during the given time period. So, for instance, if you are looking for a post that was written on August 12 - you would click on the week or month that contains that month. The date of the post is the date the entry (post) was originally blogged (or posted) - doesn't matter how many comments were made or how many edits were made or when. If I write a post today and make corrections on it every day for the next month and everyone makes comments on it every day for the next month, the date of the post is still today because that will always be the original post day.

Only a blog moderator can modify the format of how the archives are displayed. However, if anybody has any requests, comments, etc., let Catherine or me know and we can play with the format some more.

If you are a contributor to the blog you can add a comment to any post from any time period. However, the older a post, the less likely anyone will know if you post a comment. Whichever moderator is set to receive a copy of all comments (currently Catherine) will know when someone posts a comment no matter which post the comment is made on. However, no one else will know about the comment unless they go back through the archive . . . which I would guess happens, but rarely.

Perhaps a better way is to think of the archive as a file cabinet. The front page is the current file - open for everyone to read. Most people who read the file regularly will only check the top few pages and they will comment on those pages, but they won't go back very far because they have read the older material and very few people bother commenting on older pages. Each month has a separate file folder - if you are interested in the pages from longer ago, open that file folder by clicking on the link for that month. You can comment on older posts, but it is rather like putting a post-it in an old file folder. The moderator knows you made the comment, but otherwise nobody knows unless they go looking and open that folder and notice your comment.