“Blog” is short for “Web Log”.  Blogs are designed to provide a way to have conversations because the readers can comment on each post.  There are blogs out there for everything imaginable — this one is about Open Hydroponics and Advanced Production Systems in Florida Citrus.

A web site is for content that doesn’t change very much, is designed to be read by the viewer without interaction, and for on-line shopping.  Email on the other hand, is a great one-way communication tool between a sender and recipient.  Of course there can be back-and-forth conversations between two or more people, but the ability to follow those conversations requires faithful reading of the email strings.

A “Blog”,  on the other hand, is a way to have ongoing conversations with a lot of people.  When you view the blog, you can see what everyone says.  You can comment, too, if you have an opinion that you think would help or interest others.  Unlike a web site, a blog is designed to be ever-changing, with a constant flow of opinions and information.

There’s a couple of ways to follow a blog.  The best way is to sign up as a user by clicking “Register” on the lower part of the pane on the right under “Meta”. All you have to provide is an email address, although your name will help people know who you are if you choose to post comments.  Once you’ve registered, the posts will be emailed to you, along with a link back to that blog post, so you can follow the conversation actively or passively.

You can unregister at any time, of course, and no one can see when you’re viewing the blog so it can be a private experience if you choose.  Regarding privacy, we won’t let your email get away from us, and won’t use it for anything else.  Promise.

We have also set up a Facebook page for Arapaho — open a new tab in your browser and log in to your Facebook account, then flip back here and click  Arapaho’s Facebook Page and you’ll go right to it (you need to have Facebook open in another tab for this to work – otherwise just search Facebook for “Arapaho“).

The blog posts will automatically post to the Facebook page, so if you click on “Like” on the Facebook page to follow, the posts will start flowing through to your own Facebook page so you can keep up that way.

“Following” on Facebook saves you from needing to register with the blog to know when a new post occurs, but you’ll still have to go to the Blog to see other comments.  You can also post comments on Facebook, of course, but it would be better to post them to the Blog — not every viewer will have Facebook.  You don’t need to register to view or post to Arapaho’s blog.

We try to keep the web site reasonably up to date, and it’s still the place to go for more detailed information and resources.  Our posts on the blog will be more everyday type observations, ideas, and questions for the readers — a more active experience.

We’d like to invite you to sign up and participate in the way that is most comfortable for you.

Many thanks,

Pete