I haven't really given this much thought to my current blog, but it still peaks my interest. What are the advantages and disadvantages of both?

I currently just have my recent posts on it, but if I were to go the static route, what in the world should I put on it? Some blogs use them, and others don't, so....

Do visitors favor one over the other? Are there any potential benefits of putting specific information on a static homepage?

I think it comes down to the goals of the site. If the blog is meant to be the main focus then it makes sense to be the home page. If the blog is only one part of the site it makes more sense to go with the static page.

One advantage of having a static page in addition to the blog is that both can easily attract links. It's common for people to link to your home page and also common for them to link to your blog's main page. If you think you'll have trouble getting links to a variety of pages that could be one way to help spread out the links.

As a visitor it's never made much difference to me. If I'm coming back a lot it's probably because of the blog, in which case I've subscribed to the feed and enter the site on the new posts. For someone new to the site it could make a difference, but again that depends on the goals of your site.

I've thought of going with my blog as my home page, but opted for the static home page since I think it offers more flexibility later if I want to add other sections to the site. And keep in mind you can always change things after. It might not be fun, but you could try it one way and then change to the other at a later date.

Overall I'm not sure if it matters all that much which way you go. Just think of the goals of the site and why you're blogging. When someone new comes to the site do you want them to first see the blog or would you rather they first see a different page? What are you trying to emphasize most?

Like said above it really depends on the objective and needs of the site itself.

For me I rather read the most recent additions when I return to a site but that's just me. If you decide to make a static page instead of recent posts it's a good idea to include the most recent on the sidebar or somewhere else easy to find for return visitors that would like to read more of your work.

Alright I wanted to bump this thread because I've recently decided to go the static route. Plus, I'm having specif issues described here:
http://www.webmaster-talk.com/coding...ress-page.html

I don't see any immediate "Page" features that might be able to place a "recent posts", "recent comments" or blogroll link set on this static page, in fact I can't even design it very well.

So I'm just curious here as to what options I DO have, if any of them are at all possible with some simple coding.