The difference between blogs and forums.

[Dave A]

I was quietly wondering to myself - What is the difference between blogs and forums?

If we compare say Wordpress vs vBulletin, what are the distinguishing factors that really make them different?

[duncan drennan]

The analogy that comes to my mind is that of a marketplace. Let's just say that the internet and everyone out there is in this big marketplace.

Blogs are a bit like soapboxes, maybe a little like Speakers Corner in Hyde Park. The method would be that someone stands up, has their say (maybe with a few comments flying their way during it) and then other people get to stand up and have their say.

Forums are maybe a bit like a group of people haggling over a topic or price in the market...or maybe like a bunch of oldies sitting smoking the hookah together.

I'm not sure if the outcomes are any different, but there is something subtle in the methods of the two.

[Dave A]

Yeah. That seems to be it - and ultimately it's a conditioned perception.

Just to add a bit of perspective on my question. From a technical angle forum software is a little more challenging to set up, and technical feature wise forum sofware has a bit more to offer. But ultimately both still provide multi-party communication.

I think sig also hit the nail on the head with this one:

A blog is like a conference - a keynote plus q&a session.
A forum is like barcamp - everybody must participate and the threads evolves.
Good thing, both are needed!

The big difference seems to be the expectation that in a blog it's all channeled through one personality - the blogger. In a forum the expectation is that it is more of a free for all, with space to establish your own identity and credibility within "the community." The community might have leaders, but the sense of ownership is spread. In a blog, the ownership is narrow - the blogger.

To my mind there's no technical reason why a person could not run a blog with forum software - but for the conditioned perception of the "audience." And the mindset has consequences, particularly in relation to the participants' sense of "ownership", "identity" and "rules of engagement."

The concept that everyone must participate in the dialogue for the forum to work is also interesting. There's no better thread killer than a complete answer, and if the complete answer is the first post, so what?

Or maybe I'm getting confused with an open information board?

/Wanders off scratching head and looking for my hookah.