Their passions burn...

It’s been an interesting week on the blog scene. Passions have run high over several issues, with MPs, Ex-Chief Constables and blog-owners all saying things which are evoking passionate responses from contributors and readers. Maybe it’s the weather.

Late August is such a strange time; wasps become irritating and aggressive, blood-sucking parasites make their appearance (no - the insects; well, who did you think - the Law Society’s AGM?), the warm, continuously sunny days of summer begin to shorten (er...wot?)...

Interestingly, research shows fairly conclusively that continuous bad weather can be just as bad for you as a highly stressful work environment. And the addition of all the other delights that late August brings - midges, wasps, more rain (“August, cold and damp and wet, brings more rain than any yet”), the interminable school holidays, GCSE results, the thoughts of Autumn - all combine to make what’s not been the greatest summer ever seem positively benign by comparison. Warm, sunny weather tends to make folk feel optimistic and uplifted. The news that a hurricane is descending on us tomorrow as we scratch the numerous midge bites and dodge wasps intent on a quick sugary snack while we try to read the self-effacing retirement eulogy of Richard Brunstrom and smack the fleas jumping off the hedgehog which the youngest has just presented to us in bed along with a cup of cold tea really becomes the icing on the carrot cake.

Of course, the met office may well be wrong about the forthcoming meteorological Armageddon; after all, its track record in weather forecasting this summer has been slightly less accurate than the average medium’s lottery predictions but they did say it would lessen and move North...hmmm. The uk weatherworld forums reveal that we at least escaped snow this summer, whereas in June, 1791 and 1975 sleet & snow showers fell in many parts of the country and as far south as Portsmouth. On June 7 1985 too, sleet fell at Birmingham. Later on, on the 5th, heavy rain with thunder fell in parts of the Midlands and Herefordshire; an inch (25mm) fell in an hour at Wigmore (Herefordshire).
Which brings us neatly back to forums in general.

This blog first saw the light of day because of what we perceived as the stark mis-management of a local forum. A lot’s happened since then, not the least of which has been the transfer of the forum to the community, the establishment of a new management with a new philosophy and outlook (and lots of extra work for Carneades (!)) and a slow but steady return to the forums by those who previously posted with enthusiasm. Of course, it’s early days and the international brigades of spammers who’ve recently launched yet another of their jolly japes make a mockery of membership figures, and always will but forums around the world are following the same patterns; comparatively low levels of postings vis a vis high numbers of members. But the past is the past; it’s very much what’s happening now that matters, and what is happening is that those who value communities and who enjoy the experience of meeting in cyber-space are growing, both in number and in sureness of touch and the two local forums that have experienced such a traumatic recent past are now starting to find their feet and grow once again.

The question of ‘forum or blog’ was posed here in March. The answer is curiously simple: both are needed in any dynamic community. Blogs are for opinions but forums are for people. And most people place integrity, openness and honesty above all else. In life, they seem the most important qualities and they’re even more so in a forum.