Debt diaries Are they getting in the way??

Crown

The Diaries do seem to take a lot of space up but they are a big part of DFW. I dont think they should be moved as otherwise it causes problems. Look what happened when the BR board was seperated. I hardly read that board anymore not because im not interested but because DFW is my main forum on the site.

I think Martin should seriously look into setting up some type of official MSE Diary system in conjunction with Blogger.com. I realsie this site works advertising free but if people want a diary that can still be intergrated with the site I doubt they would mind having a few adverts.

Thats my 2p's worth anyway lol

SarahNeedle1872

When I first discovered this site, and in particular, the DFW board, I found it really inspirational reading the diaries, and that is really what spurred me into getting myself sorted out, kind of a 'if they can do it, so can I' feeling. There are many people on here who deal with a lot more debt, and personal problems than I do, and they are all amazing. What IA said is right, it's not just about debt, its about venting frustrations and getting advice for all kinds of things.
My first few posts were into someones diary, just to make a comment about how well they were doing etc, and I found that a lot less daunting than posting my SOA straight away. I was also able to get the ball rolling before I posted my SOA, purely on what other people had done (switching utilities etc)
I think that this and Old Style MS are the only two boards where you are pretty much guaranteed to get an answer, whatever the post is about, purely because of the amount of people that read the threads - and u don't normally have to wait long.
I have started a diary (currently languishing on about page 53!), for myself more than anything else, as it a great motivational tool.
If you move the diaries somewhere else, you run the risk of loosing a lot of viewers (as has been said previously about the Bankruptcy Board), then there won't be as many of the 'experienced' people around to help the newbies.

That's just my humble opinion....

Sarah x

msmicawber

I must admit that I've posted a lot less on the DFW board since the number of diaries has increased because I tend not to have much time, so glance at the first screen of DFW, see a load of diaries and move on to another board.

Toto

To be honest I think there are fewer diaries now than there were 6 months ago. Quite a few people have moved away from dfw and the diaries have died

postingalwaysposting

some quick statistics for you ~ i am sad i know... each forum page holds 20 threads... i looked at pages 1 ~ 5 so 100 threads and only 15 of those were diarys, some quite popular others just started so imo there arnt many

msmicawber

I suppose it depends as well on the time of day that you look at the board as to what's on the first page. I can see Martin's point - the diaries are inspirational to others, and help the posters themselves keep motivated. When I first joined, I found them rather cliquey (if that's a word) and sometimes still do.

southernscouser

What we have to remember aswell is these boards aren't just for new members. Old seasoned pro's like myself still need keeping on the straight and narrow.

I used to be unsure of them (yes I'm a hypocrite ) but what the hell! Who is to say a diary is any less benficial to a member than a post containing an SOA?

msmicawber

Very true, SS. Also, if there are too many sub-boards then threads are more likely to be missed or passed over.

spud30

I agree SS.

You only need to post an SOA once in a while, so if people need some DFW support at other times, who are we to argue

Cazzdevil

Mozette wrote: »

I don't tend to read the diarys - mainly because most of them have zillions of posts

Ditto, if they were treated more like blogs then I'd read them with interest and enthusiasm, but they get "clogged up" with dozens of posts where people are just saying well done or congrats and it takes ages to read through them all (and I'm lazy too!).

I think they're a fab idea though and seem to really help a lot of people stay focussed. If I had debts I'd be inclined to do one myself!