with a photo that is out of focus? would it make any sence at all to try to make it appear focused, and what procedures would i use if it were so?

It all depends on how badly out of focus it is. Sometimes sharpening is all that is needed. Other times programs like Focus Fixer or Focus Magic will help.

If you can post the photo, we'll know better how to answer.

Yes, Please post the image for us to take a look at. Sometimes they are just too far gone but if it was a matter of you using auto focus and it caught a branch or something nearby it may be fixable. Try creating a duplicate layer of the original image and adding a gaussian blur, start with numbers like 1.5 - 1.5 and make the last number close to the megabite size of your image. With the eraser tool, erase away the subject matter you want to sharpen a bit, I would assume it's a face. Use a nice round/soft brush (about 75% hardness). After you have erased away all you desire, make the other layer active and tweak the opacity a bit 'til you get what you like.
Hope it helps.
c

As with most things ... it depends. I've seen some photos by highly regarded photographers that look OOF but they have applied filters, colored overlay layers with low opacity/masks, added wispy border effects and the result is magnificent. Normally, we look for the subject to be in focus and would discard an out of focus as not acceptable. But with some imagination and the post-processing tools available just about every photo has potential.