When to Use Group Blog (vs. Start a Discussion)

Here are general guidelines for using the Group Blog tool vs. the Discussions feature of your Groupsite.  Start by asking, "What am I trying to achieve?" Then try to use the best tool to fit the need.


A blog is (primarily) a publishing tool. It gives your group a powerful "voice" inside your Groupsite as well as to the rest of the world (if you choose to make it public)


Use your blog to:



  • teach or provide others with the means to learn



  • publish important information about your organization's mission or values



  • impart "expert" advice, facts or opinions



  • show off good work (that would be of value to your audience), or


A discussion forum is a conversation tool.


Start a discussion topic when you:



  • Have particularly sensitive or controversial topics to discuss



  • Primarily want to stimulate productive online conversation, two-or-more-way, or



  • Have a question - are seeking to learn more than to teach


Both tools are a means to document ideas or information that may otherwise be inaccessible or lost.


 

Liked By: