Forums vs Blogs

Comparing the two, there uses and the future trends

[SlimKim]

Fortune Magazine article named Blogs as the # 1 item in a list of top ten tech trends to watch in 2005.

Seems to me blogs get more media coverage. Is it just a fad ... a catchy name? What's the deal?

I see some folks trying to alter their forums to a blog look, feel and sound in order to partake in the craze.

Maybe some of you guys can provide a bit of insight on my attempt to compare forums to blogs.

Comments?

[pendanticist]

Blogs get all the media attention primarily, I feel, because of the journalistic nature of both entities.

Secondly, and most important to the question of 'future', is how effective they proved to be during the initial days following the Tsnumai.

[freeflight2]

forum: somebody starts a discussion, people reply. <-- focus on a certain topic

blog: somebody is talking about his view of the world - also "blog owners" are often proud of their property... spending hours on designing it - it's a little bit like their house. If you read somebody's blog you might understand how he thinks and thought about certain events and issues. <-- focus on somebody's opinion

Technically, the only really new thing when it comes to blogs is the "trackback" feature: somebody writes about something (his or her opinion) and somebody else might reference that in an other blog which can be seen on the original block.

future trends for blogs: combining blogs+photo gallery, mobile blogging... that already exists for a while but might become more mainstream.

[rogerd]

If you want to get into buzzword smackdown, try "blog" vs. "community". :) Everyone wants a community these days.

I do thing blogs get more attention than forums because of focus: blogs are written and edited by a single author (or a small group), and the feedback by others is in a secondary position.

Even well-run, well-moderated forums with great contributors tend to be more random and unfocused. It's rare that a forum has a single viewpoint; even if a majority of members lean a certain way, it is likely that one or more dissenters will crop up.

To look at it in broadcasting terms, blogs are more like Rush Limbaugh (who does most of the talking and takes a few listener calls) while forums are more like "open mike night".

Still, if you are interested in community building, forums tend to be a more powerful tool in that they are more democratic in the way they let many members participate.

I think hybrids may be a trend going forward - a blog/forum combination could offer the best of both worlds.