Adding forum/chat to blog site?

increasing the community interactivity...

[zulu_dude]

On one of our sites, a blogging site, the site has developed into a strange hybrid... it's almost like a cross between a blogging site and a forum.

Let me explain... the site isn't nearly as big as the likes of blogger.com (we have about 1000 bloggers), so it's quite easy to read all new posts as they come out. Because of this, some blogs have developed quite a following, just from being picked up on the blog site front page. And several bloggers seem to have become friends, almost like penpals and regularly leave comments on each others' blogs.

My question is this... should I take notice of this and add something more interactive than a blog to the site? Like either a live chat facility or maybe a forum?

The way I see it, the benefits would be:
- increased user activity and interactivity.
- it will allow users to keep being part of the community as the site grows.

The drawbacks:
- might make people less likely to blog, as they might prefer to just chat away in the forums.
- as far as advertising goes, forums are almost useless, as many CPM networks don't allow banners on forums.

Any comments would be most welcome...

[rogerd]

Interesting question, zuludude. First, congrats on achieving something that's not always easy - getting a good flow of blog comments. Many excellent bloggers with strong readership don't develop much in the way of interactive discussion.

I'd lean toward adding a forum. Chat is ephemeral, and won't add much value to your site in the long run. A forum provides a better opportunity for multiple users to interact, and ultimately to create a new community area. Good luck!