[Political Numbers Guy]

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.

[RonDog]

Blogs in general also offer an opportunity to spread the great material posted on FR to other sites....

And vice versa, i.e. Games People Play

Still, I'd rather spend my online time here on Free Republic, and let the rest of you blog-ophiles sift through the blogosphere - and just post the GOOD STUFF here. :o)

I guess that blogs could also be seen as one giant "profile page" - where many important threads could be archived.