Purpose

At their heart Facebook, Forums, and Blogs are all about communication and community, but each focuses on a different area of where those to concepts intersect.

Forums: The main purpose of a forum is to create a sense of community.  Most forums require participants to become members.  Members are then allowed to participate in ongoing conversations and create new conversations of their own.  In addition, most forums include some means of direct, private, unmonitored communication to foster direct communication among the members (and to company representatives).

Blogs: The main purpose of a blog is to serve as a vehicle for posting content.  Comments are allowed and encouraged, but they are rarely the focus of a blog.  New content typically originates from a select few rather the collective whole.

Facebook Presence: The main reason to show up on Facebook is to tap into existing social networks.  You need to regularly generate your own content as if you were writing a blog, be prepared for anyone to start a conversation as if you were managing a forum, and understand that you are in a shared space, and that you and your products will not always be the focus of your fan’s discussions.

Participation

Regardless of what online communication platform you use, it is important to encourage participation and respond well to any feedback you receive.  Even negative feedback can have a positive impact on your brand image if you show that you are principled, polite, and responsive.

Forums: A successful forum requires regular input from multiple sources or it will stagnate.  Corporate forums work best when you have regular events and product launches for people to discuss, and shared topics of client interest to fill in the in between periods.

Blogs: The only thing you need to keep a blog going is the continual input of its author(s).  The success of a blog is not always measured by contributions from its readership.  Blogs work best for businesses that can commit to posting on a regular schedule.

Facebook Presence: A good Facebook presence requires regular contribution from both the company and the fan base.

Time Commitment

No interactive online communication will be time neutral.  You will always need to make regular appearances, and you will be seen as more involved and more responsive the more time you commit to the maintenance of your online presence.

Forums: The main time commitment on a healthy forum will come from content control and conflict resolution.  Because of the volume of posts coming through a Forum, members are typically on the honor system to stay within the terms and conditions.  It is not uncommon for SPAM bots and irate or irresponsible community members to violate those terms of service.  Many forums give users a way to assist in community policing but it will still ultimately come down to a company representative and their action (or inaction) will reflect on the brand.

Blogs: Since the primary content of a blog comes from a select group of authors, they have a greater responsibility to produce new articles in a regular and timely manner.  Comments from visitors can go through an approval queue without bogging down the main purpose of the site.

Facebook Presence: Facebook is a platform of convenience for many private users.  It is vitally important that you follow what others are saying about you, thank fans for their positive feedback, and address customer relations concerns in a timely manner.  While it is possible to use Facebook for private exchanges, most users expect this sort of public dialog.