Forums vs Blogs
The wonderful thing about blogging is that it enables you to have somewhat of a dialogue with your target market or the marketplace writ large. They are a social kind of media in that respect. A great precursor to them, however, was the forum/message-board. But what exactly, then, is the difference? Well, Debbie Weil has published two lists of pros and cons that illustrate a lot of the key differences.
What's notable of these lists, moreover, is that the pros are allotted to blogs, and the cons to forums/message-boards. Consequently, you only get to see one side of each coin. In defense of the forum, I'd like to point out some of its strengths, but first, here are Debbie's lists:
10 Pros for a Blog:
- Blogs have one publisher who controls what is published on the blog
- Comments from readers can be pre-screened and even blocked (i.e. not published) if they are deemed inappropriate
- Good blogs have a distinctive voice and personality
- That voice tends to make good reading and to invite a real "conversation" with readers
- A blog gathers steam, gains traction and can get better and richer over time
- Blog entries are easily searchable (by date and category/topic)
- Individual blog posts are findable on Google (each has its own unique URL)
- RSS (i.e. a Web feed) is a highly efficient way to read updates to a blog
- Blogs don't require registration and logging in (a stumbling block - or an irritant - for some users)
- Blogs can host other (compelling) forms of social media, including video clips and podcasts
10 Cons for a Message Board:
- Message boards are a free-for-all
- No one is in charge so there is no one dominant or distinctive voice
- Discussions tend to be in the form of Q & A rather than a conversation
- No one talks about the "personality" of a message board
- In general, message boards are useful but not "compelling" or "must read's"
- Message boards work *if* enough people in your intended audience participate
- They sometimes suffer from overzealous (i.e. annoying) participants
- Or... just as often... from not enough participation
- Having to log in to post to a message board can be a pain
- Comment threads let you dig down into a particular discussion BUT you can do the same thing on an individual blog post that has multiple comments and trackbacks
What forums offer that blogs don't is traffic. If your company can benefit from high volume traffic (and almost any company can), then a forum is a project that you should consider undertaking. But lets take a look at this point by point.
First of all, that forums are a free-for-all has its advantages. Most notably is the human element. A forum is literally just that: a place where all are free to voice their opinion. If your company chooses to host one, there is an implicit acknowledgement that all opinions and points of view are valuable and, more importantly, respect by your company. Aside from the considerable PR image gains to be had by coming of as more human, free-for-alls can draw a lot more traffic than to-down conversations.
Secondly, that no one is in charge also sends a message. It sends that message that your company is down to Earth and doesn't subscribe to that stereotypical corporate arrogance that so many firms are despised for. Again, the PR gains.
Third, because forums are more Q&A, they can help people find answers that blogs might not. Sure, blogs provide invaluable advice and guidance, but not on an ad hoc basis like forums do. And with a blog, you're getting the two-sense of one person. In forums, you can benefit from the wisdom of crowds. This means traffic that comes, goes, and then comes back for more. Furthermore, unlike a length blog posts, those looking for answers to their questions will actually read the longer thread compared to those who click away from longer blog posts (like this one).
Of course, Debbie's point about a forum's weaknesses such as too little or too much participation are well-founded, but blogs can be plagued with their shortcomings just the same. A blog, for example, requires consistent commitment to draw notice. A forum, provided that people participate, requires little. Basically, others provide the content, and moderators responsd on an ad hoc basis. There is not as much of a need for creative energy and planning on a day to day basis.
At the end of the day, all companies have to ask themselves just exactly what their Web 2.0 objectives are. If they are more interested in branding and PR, then yes, a blog is a good place to start. However, depending on the scope, scale, and previous track record of the company, a forum can also be useful in this regard. Conversely, if your company want to be able to provide Q&A type support and using it to leverage traffic, then a forum is probably a good bet.
Via AIMS Canada
