Why YOU should consider having a blog at the B&C…

[Brother Tyler]

...The blogs are one of the most important tools at your disposal for sharing your own hobby endeavors with other members of the community, especially when used in conjunction with the galleries. While many members use the discussion forums for this purpose, that option should be considered secondary to the blogs...

 

See more here.

[sitnam]

I understand the rationale behind the blogs, and might explore starting mine, but my worry is the lack of discussion. I enjoy posting my finished projects and WiP to the relevant discussion forums to get feedback, but doing so does make it harder to backtrace my projects that are spread out across different boards.

 

Though I suppose if blot usage becomes more common in the community, then discussion will become more common

[Brother Tyler]

You can have both, and this was common when we had blogs a decade ago. Frequently, members would duplicate blog posts in the discussion forums, and members could then reply in either/both.

 

And if we see blog usage/participation increase, we may increase their presence in the sidebars.

[Warhead01]

I should give this some thought. My hobby attitude has drifted away from the applicable sub forums and I am guilty f more or less running a blog type thread in more than one sub forum.  Might be the right way for me to cay on in the hobby on the B&C.  And as it happens I have somethings I could be blogging about. 

[Xenith]

3 hours ago, Brother Tyler said:

And if we see blog usage/participation increase, we may increase their presence in the sidebars.

 

I think this is a chicken and egg scenario. People want to put their content where it will be seen, currently that's in the main forums.

[Focslain]

Was thinking of this for a combined hobby bit. Just kept getting distracted.

 

Also been really bad a getting picts of my stuff.

[Tymell]

I have been thinking about writing some pieces on the Horus Heresy series once it wraps up (or at least, once the Siege finishes), a B&C is certainly an option.

[Rik Lightstar]

I'd love to but my hobby time is pretty eclectic and often includes non-40k stuff 

 

I'm guessing that would still be outside of the B&C remit? 

[Brother Tyler]

Yes, blog content still has to be relevant to the WH40K (and Horus Heresy) hobby.

[TheMawr]

2 hours ago, Brother Tyler said:

Yes, blog content still has to be relevant to the WH40K (and Horus Heresy) hobby.

 

Is an art focused blog ( based in the setting ) also allowed.. your earlier post made me think it was, but now that I have actually posted it and see this message.. the hobby part could swing both ways ? While fan lore is definitely part of the RPG roots of the hobby Im not sure art counts ?

[JeffJedi]

Would a 3d printed terrain blog that is clearly based in the 40k universe while being wholly original creations be allowed?

 

Basically I would show off a model, print it out and review it as well as painting it. Primarily not my own creations until such time that I might become good at making my own. A link would be shown if people wanted to know where they were from but I would not be advertising for them nor would I  be a paid promotion for them.

[Grotsmasha]

2 hours ago, TheMawr said:

 

Is an art focused blog ( based in the setting ) also allowed.. your earlier post made me think it was, but now that I have actually posted it and see this message.. the hobby part could swing both ways ? While fan lore is definitely part of the RPG roots of the hobby Im not sure art counts ?

As longe as the content is 40k, it will be appropriate in any format, art, fan-fic, they're acceptable

 

EDIT: I just checked, everything in there is absolutely acceptable, and everyone else, you should check it out, I recommend.

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by Grotsmasha

[Grotsmasha]

51 minutes ago, JeffJedi said:

Would a 3d printed terrain blog that is clearly based in the 40k universe while being wholly original creations be allowed?

 

Basically I would show off a model, print it out and review it as well as painting it. Primarily not my own creations until such time that I might become good at making my own. A link would be shown if people wanted to know where they were from but I would not be advertising for them nor would I  be a paid promotion for them.

 

Printing, painting, and reviewing 3D printed models / terrain would be acceptable.

IIRC the B&C currently has a rule of not linking to 3D files / websites that infringe on GW's IP. However, in this context, linking to the creator or shop where they are sold (typically anything for Sale DOESN'T infringe GW because they shut those down right-quick) might be acceptable.

I would defer to @Brother Tyler on this one, but perhaps mentioning the creator but not linking could also be an acceptable course of action?

[Disruptor_fe404]

I have a question about (silly as it may sound...) the use and function of blogs here on the B&C; I'll admit I'm guilty of primarily thinking of our venerable halls as a forum first!

 

So is the intention of a blog to be an easy-to-archive (and access) repository of sorts? My quick test run has shown me that we first create a blog, then post an entry to the blog. It doesn't currently look like there's a comment functionality on the master blog 'envelope' itself, but there are open comment functions on each post.

 

I'm guessing then that the use case looks like this: we create a blog (I'd consider this a user blog, as it appears to be one per user), post content to that blog, and invite interaction on each post either on the post itself via forum commentary linking to it, or across the forum while using the blog post content as reference?

 

For me specifically, I'm thinking I'll be using the blog (and entries) as a collection of my completed works and associated (and admittedly amateurish) fluff - something that I previously would typically have used the +Hall of Honour+ for. Is this intentional? Further, I (and many, many others) maintain long-standing WiP threads that have functionally served similar archival functions as a blog - is the ideal use case for us to use blogs for these instead, and for individual model/projects to be posted as separate threads perhaps?

 

 

[Brother Tyler]

7 hours ago, JeffJedi said:

Would a 3d printed terrain blog that is clearly based in the 40k universe while being wholly original creations be allowed?

 

Basically I would show off a model, print it out and review it as well as painting it. Primarily not my own creations until such time that I might become good at making my own. A link would be shown if people wanted to know where they were from but I would not be advertising for them nor would I  be a paid promotion for them.

 

Yes, that is perfectly acceptable (as long as you are not violating anyone's IP). Realistically, given the range of cultures and technologies represented by the various planets the Imperium controls, just about any terrain would be acceptable.

 

4 hours ago, Disruptor_fe404 said:

I have a question about (silly as it may sound...) the use and function of blogs here on the B&C; I'll admit I'm guilty of primarily thinking of our venerable halls as a forum first!

 

So is the intention of a blog to be an easy-to-archive (and access) repository of sorts? My quick test run has shown me that we first create a blog, then post an entry to the blog. It doesn't currently look like there's a comment functionality on the master blog 'envelope' itself, but there are open comment functions on each post.

 

I'm guessing then that the use case looks like this: we create a blog (I'd consider this a user blog, as it appears to be one per user), post content to that blog, and invite interaction on each post either on the post itself via forum commentary linking to it, or across the forum while using the blog post content as reference?

 

For me specifically, I'm thinking I'll be using the blog (and entries) as a collection of my completed works and associated (and admittedly amateurish) fluff - something that I previously would typically have used the +Hall of Honour+ for. Is this intentional? Further, I (and many, many others) maintain long-standing WiP threads that have functionally served similar archival functions as a blog - is the ideal use case for us to use blogs for these instead, and for individual model/projects to be posted as separate threads perhaps?

 

 

 

Yes, cross-posting to the forums is one common method of drawing members to your blog. Another common method is to use your signature to provide information about your latest blog post and linking to that post. The challenge there is keeping within the signature limits as defined in the forum rules (click the "Obey!" link in my signature if you want to read those limits).

 

While I personally prefer to use the blog as the central location for my (glacial) projects, another method is to use it simply as a linkage point. In this method, each project is conducted in one of the other forums and has a corresponding category in the blog. This will most likely be a duplicate of or very similar to your first post. You then post updates to the discussion forum project. Anyone wanting to see all of your projects simply has to look in your blog for links.

 

Ultimately, we want you to have the flexibility to conduct your projects in a way that works for you, with the blogs providing benefits, especially when used in conjunction with the discussion forums and galleries.

 

9 hours ago, TheMawr said:

 

Is an art focused blog ( based in the setting ) also allowed.. your earlier post made me think it was, but now that I have actually posted it and see this message.. the hobby part could swing both ways ? While fan lore is definitely part of the RPG roots of the hobby Im not sure art counts ?

 

Absolutely. The full range of hobby pursuits is acceptable for blogging. For example, a member might use the blogs to present their development of a DIY Chapter, or their fan fiction, or their theories about the game setting. In many ways, having a blog gives you the ability to create your own discussion forum here at the B&C for everything you do/think in terms of the hobby.

[Brother Casman]

Thanks for the reminder, Brother Tyler, I've been meaning to start my blog for a while now.

[Brother Tyler]

On 5/2/2023 at 10:37 AM, Xenith said:

 

I think this is a chicken and egg scenario. People want to put their content where it will be seen, currently that's in the main forums.

 

Agreed.

 

I've been playing around with this. The trick is balancing the quantity of each element that appears in the sidebars (on the main page). I've increased the presence of the blog entries, but have had to reduce a few of the others. The goal is to keep the overall height of the sidebar content somewhere close to the full height of the categories/forums. The sidebar height varies with the actual content, however, so it's just a rough target.

[Joe]

To be honest, I've just found it much more to my preference to have my own blog outside of the website. Greater control at the end of the day, and I can manually share it on various social media platforms.

[Xenith]

There's a share option on individual posts to twitter and FB at least, and youcan always just copy and paste the main page of your blog to wherever - I have that as my IG link. 

 

[Noserenda]

Oh go on then :P (See signature)