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A "blog" is sort of like one GIANT "vanity post" here on Free Republic...
And, of course, a "vanity post" here is a thread which does NOT start with a new story already posted somewhere on the Internet, preferably from a "reliable" source.

See also:

Way Too Many Vanities (Updated)
March 29, 2003 | Admin Moderator
Posted on 03/29/2003 4:52 PM PST by Admin Moderator
Edited on 03/31/2003 3:26 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]

There have been way too many vanities lately. The news forum is being overrun with them. We have been spending a lot of time moving them to the General Interest ("Chat") forum. With the increased volume we have seen with the war starting, we have been missing mail and other moderator duties, such as zots. So, here's some guidelines for vanities. Of course, there are exceptions to these guidelines. We have seen some great vanities.

Vanities are never posted in breaking news. Exceptions will be from valid news sources where breaking news is happening immediately. Such as 'CNN just reported Baghdad has been overrun by coalition forces'. Or, 'Fox reports that WMD have been discovered in Saddam's palace by embedded reporter'.

Your one line vanites, for the most part can be posted as a comment on an existing thread. If you want to post a one line vanity, post it in the chat forum. One line vanities consist of but are not limited to, 'Did you just hear that guy on KASD?'. Or, 'Does anyone know where that thread is about that women who said something about chemical weapons'. They will be deleted unless they are posted in the chat forum.

Most emails are not valid sources of news. Who knows where they originated from. They will be deleted unless they are posted in the chat forum...
CLICK HERE for the rest of that thread

No offense intended, Political Numbers Guy.

Yous is a GOOD "vanity" post :o)

Blogs might not be everyone's cup of tea, and no one blog can ever match the sheer energy you'll find on Free Republic everyday.

IMHO, though, blogs are very good at sorting through the news. Reading the most recent five or six posts on two or three good blogs will give you a very good idea of what's going on that day. They'll not only post the stories, but they'll highlight the important quotes within them (the "money graf") and offer some short comments. The need to sift through is kept to a very minimum. Really good commentary tends to get highlighted on multiple sites; no need to separate the good vanities from the bad vanities; the good rises to the surface very quickly.

You do bring up a good point about vanities on FR. Blogs hosted on FR could provide an outlet for personal vanities, relieving traffic on the main site. Blogs in general also offer an opportunity to spread the great material posted on FR to other sites.