It is an interesting question whether blogs are "finished work", or "work in progress". Obviously they are whatever you want them to be at the moment, but I wonder how others view them?
It is an important question for a couple of reasons. Firstly, some people have submitted poems for publication and let the recipient know that they were first "published" on Write Out Loud, and been disappointed to be told that that disqualifies them for submission as the journal concerned only takes original, unpublished work.
I always urge folks to deny that they were "published" here, but to say they were simply on pages for 'discussion as work in progress", as you would if in a writers' group, say.
However, I suspect that some people see the blogs as for finished work, and some for w-i-p. So, should we create different areas for w-i-p from an area(s) for "publication" of finished poems?
This latter might link with the idea of making changes to the Features section, perhaps using it to "publish" featured poems, filtered by an editor or editorial board, or popular vote or summat?
Open to ideas...

That's an interesting one Julian.

Blogs seem to satisfy different needs for many.

Some people just want a space to place their work without interracting too much otherwise with the site. I think a published poetry section would therefore be good for them. Having said that, I'm not sure whether many people would want to place their work in an area that restricts the publication of their poetry elsewhere - or its wider acclaim. It seems likely to me that most people would continue to place it in the Work in Progress section, just so it gives them more freedom, regardless of whether they intend to take any contstructive criticism or not.

The fun of the blogs section lies partly in the comments - reading others, adding yourself. A poem that presents itself as a finished item with no room for change depresses that a bit.

It does seem like a great way of getting round the rules that competitions impose though...

These are my initial thoughts on the subject. I may have more...

I like the idea of poems being picked out of monthly blogs to be featured somewhere. POM is chosen by the previous winner from profile poems. It would be nice to see monthly blogs being appreciated in some way - particularly since many of us will already be familiar with them.

I use them more for work in progress, to see if the message/meaning of a poem is working, to see if others believe the poem to be heading in the right direction of what I wanted to write about.
Some of the feedback I've received over the years has helped in terms of re-writes, editing, etc. They are a useful resource for me.

The blogs work well at the moment - they are flexible and fun and an important part of what being a community is about, insofar as we are. When there have been monthly competitions organised and voted in by users, they have really enhanced the experience. No doubt we'll make them happen again - it's up to us, although they could no doubt be made 'official'.

It's tricky to argue that blogs aren't published when everything on the site is copyrighted by Julian Jordon Ltd. That isn't to have a go, Julian - just playing devil's advocate and seeing how an argument might go. If the blogger retains copyright it's easier to argue it's just wip.

Just to make VERY plain David, and anyone else reading your comment, it is the website that is copyright Julian Jordon Ltd, not the content provided by individuals. There is a significant difference. Many websites do take the copyright from contributors, we do not.
If you look at the terms of use, item 4.2, you will see that copyright in all original material rests with the creator. The other terms are standard website terms, except that some websites claim copyright from contributors. We don't.
I have refused to enter a BBC scriptwriting competition because in the small print they claimed copyright on ALL entries, not just winning ones. And they shoudl not claim copyright in those.
That said, even if it were our copyright (IT'S NOT!)rather than your own material, this has nothing to do with whether blogs are "published" entitities.
I think what I am looking at is the possibility of having distinct areas for each: wip and finished work, and the Features mag might be the place for the latter.
The website was created by my son and I working together over 12 months. I took expensive legal advice and they supplied the terms of use, with the amendment that I insisted upon to protect your (and my, as a contributor) copyright.
The oddest thing of all about the blogs is that we never intended that they should be for posting poems, but envisaged that folks would use them for blogging, so as to encourage a new genre of writing to the site. But, as they seemed to prefer to use it for poems, we rolled with it; which is what the site is about, you lot saying what else you want it to do and be.
Enjoy!

How interesting!! The occasional blogg which tells us stuff - info on some new gig, a new book, whatever - always seems so unimportnat (sorry!) compared to the POEMS!!! Did you envisage that we'd all be looking on the poet's profiles to see their new work? That would seem to be too fiddly!

For me, posting a poem (or blogg) is a cathartic experience - like having a pooh or an orgasm (sorry folks!!) I don't see my stuff as wip, as I don't imagine myself trying to publish or enter a comp. When I have to write, that's what happens. And then, I guess the temptation to spread it far and wide (PLEASE forget earlier analogy!!) is too much! What will my peers/contemporaries think of it? I post - and it's addictive! I love WOL - keep on keepin' on!!xx

Hilarious Ann, is there a poem in all that?

Thanks Julian for clarifying things.

Surely a poem cannot be 'Published on-line' unless some editorial decision making process has occurred. Unless it is maybe self published on line? maybe, interesting discussion. Win