I just read Fred Wilson's post From Blog To Forum, and it struck a cord with me, relative to a closed discussion forum in which I participate with a group of trusted associates. While the subject area of Fred's blog is different from the discussions of that private group, the behavioral patterns are very relevant to what that group is trying to create, which is a powerful forum for exchanging ideas and challenging one another.  Two key differences, though, are (1) Fred uses a blog whereas this private group uses a discussion forum and (2) Fred's blog is entirely open to all, this group is not.

This led me to ask the private group to consider those two points as we talk about the future of our group. Then, I realized that my reflection on these points would be good perspective to share with anyone who's interested. So, in the paragraphs below, I call out what I believe the the most important differences between a blog (which is typically open) and a forum (which can be either, but I'm especially focused on those that are closed, like the one I mentioned above).

In the first point, when a group of authors learn how to use a blog and how to follow other blogs, it creates a virtual discussion forum for each participant. You learn to track blogs with an RSS Reader (like Google Reader) and to reply in comments. But, unlike a forum, a blog format allows you to take a more well-defined ownership over your own point of view of the world. Your blog is your forum and you have discretion over which comments stay and which are deleted. Of course, the goal is to foster a brutally honest but also constructive dialogue, as Fred describes in his post.

In the second point, part of why Fred's blog is so powerful is because so many people read and contribute to it. That is a point my private discussion group is beginning to address as we expand the membership, but we should challenge ourselves to ask: Why can't our discussions be open to EVERYONE? In the past, this group has talked about how putting yourself out there--making yourself VULNERABLE--is essential to growth? Well, what embodies that philosophy more than making our conversations available to all?