Engagement occurs anywhere a company connects with clients around the shared passions and values orbiting the brand — something that could easily happen on a message board.

So why do I recommend blogs to my clients instead of message boards?

BlogWrite for CEOs (Debbie Weil) tackled this issue, and while she stole my next blog topic (I’ll forgo punishment this time), it’s a topic worth visiting.

Ms. Weil’s post listed the 10 Ways Blogs Are More Effective Than Message Boards, yet I’m going to sum it up in just one.

Direction vs. Lowest Common Denominator

From the perspective of an organization, blogs are directed, and tend to function at the level of the blogger.

Message boards are undirected, and tend to function at the level of whoever is willing to post the most.

The term “lowest common denominator” is overused, but it applies to message boards.

I write a top fly fishing blog, and while its traffic is dwarfed by that of the bigger fly fishing message boards, the four top message boards have all suffered significant meltdowns in the last six months.

It’s also difficult to measure “authority” in the online world, but it’s hard to suggest the cacophony of a message board carries more authority than the strong, clear voice of a blog.

This is not to say message boards can’t form vibrant communities — or that organizations shouldn’t participate.

But to count on them for engagement? It’s a dangerous game.

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