Soapbox

> What i find really perplexing (other than why i used the word perplexing) is why you'd want to wiffle waffle on about what clothes you've bought in the first place.

Well, it it's providing a user review of some item of outdoor clothing, then that may be useful for other potential users.  OM is, after all, supposed to be based around a core of user reviews...

I'm not quite sure whether there's meant to be any sense of 'importance' to the position of features on OM's menu bar, but you'll notice that 'Forums' lies somewhat to the right of 'Reviews'...  I find the Forum the most useful part of OM.

People say they aren't interested in gear reviews on blogs but what about reviews and comments on gear on forums? What is the diffference really between the two? Perhaps you get to feel you know someone on a forum and learn to trust them. However perhaps you'll do the same with a blogger or a magazine reviewer. Personally I trust the Judy lass in TGO. FRom my experience the men's equivalent of the recommended clothing that Judy writes abotu in TGO suits me. I think that all you can do is find the person who thinks the same way about gear or other things as you whether on forums, blogs or magazines.

All this talk about shitting bloggers and other negative views is really down to how people view them. Personally I am cynical so don't believe everything I read. I'm also critical and make my own decisions about things. If you read a varied comment on whatever type of gear you need to get then decide for yourself then bloggers reviews become just part of the process and not the only part.

Anyone think some OM forum threads are basically blogs for the regulars anyway. Thinking windy, Bennachie and caldera clone. They can be good threads at time but utter blox at other times (caldera clone thread excepted which is kind of different, probably because of the reputation of its founder who I think could be a very knowledgeable blogger if he started one).

I have a high post count I think (well if I could see it I'd know) but I am like any other blogger in that I can say some good but am no expert but someone who posts their views in good faith and without deceit. Up to you if you believe in what I say. I know with some early posts I no longer hold the same view as I have learnt more since then through experience and just better research on the topics I'm interested in.

> Anyone think some OM forum threads are basically blogs for the regulars anyway.

The clone thread is a sort of collaborative blog, and it's the collaboration that I like.  Actually, most threads are collaborative blogs...

> probably because of the reputation of its founder who I think could be a very knowledgeable blogger if he started one

It's very kind of you to say that, but, for the moment, I prefer to post on an open forum.  If I have knowledge that is useful, then this is how I like to share it.  I'm not sure that a blog would be a better way of doing that.  I did consider creating a website a few years ago, which could be devoted to some of my areas of special interest (stoves, clones, layering, etc).  The intention was to collect all my various thoughts into one place.  Trouble was, it was like herding cats, and I couldn't arrange my thoughts adequately...

> Another thing I've noticed is some established bloggers I used to follow have gone stale.

I think I'd run out of things to say... that's another reason why a forum is good, because other people think of things to ask or say, things I might never have thought about discussing on a blog.