[lutusp]

Because I don't have anything for sale or require a signup? That's circular reasoning. If someone creates a site that isn't commercial, doesn't advertise anything, and doesn't require a signup, it's inevitably dismissed as a mere comment forum, regardless of its content. It's not defined by what it is, it's defined by what it isn't.

Bloggers don't offer popular -- not to say famous (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnophilia) -- programs for download. My site does. Bloggers don't offer online applications with wide acceptance (http://arachnoid.com/latex). My site does.

My site, online since 1996, had its present form before the term "blog" had its present meaning. All that has changed is it has more content people find useful.

[briandear]

The design certainly looks like it started in 1996. I visited the site and still have no idea how it's any different than a Tumblr blog.. Other than decreased organization and usability of course. Also we're talking about the topic of gradual engagement. Your site has pretty much no engagement other than hundreds of blog posts and a sidebar full of unorganized links. The OP was discussing businesses-- meaning the sales of a product or service. Your site doesn't qualify as such, or if it does, the value proposition is so horribly obscured as to make it undetectable. I'm not knocking your site, but it's hardly a relevant example in this discussion. If it is selling a product or a service, then it's a great case study on what not to do in terms of selling your product.

[lutusp]

> I visited the site and still have no idea how it's any different than a Tumblr blog.

Yes, it's clear you have no idea.

> The OP was discussing businesses ...

It seems, as has often been said, to a hammer everything looks like a nail. If it's not a business, in the modern Internet, it has no right to exist, because in the modern Internet, everything is a business. As I already said, it's circular reasoning.

You may be surprised to learn that the internet was once a gathering place for intelligent people, not a perpetual electronic strip mall.

> Also we're talking about the topic of gradual engagement.

To which "we" does that refer? The topic is sites that require signups before revealing content.

> I'm not knocking your site ...

No, of course not. Who would think that?

> ... but it's hardly a relevant example in this discussion.

No, because I don't require people to sign up. Do you have any idea how you sound?

> If it is selling a product or a service, then it's a great case study on what not to do in terms of selling your product.

You just made my argument for me. There's nothing I need to add. With a little more effort, you could make racism respectable.

For the record, my site gets a huge amount of daily traffic and has an enviable pagerank of 6/10.