A project blog is a weblog — a sort of Internet diary — that charts the progress, status, and details of a certain defined endeavor. These blogs can come in many forms. Some are designed as a way for corporate team members to update each other on progress made on a certain work project. More common is a public project blog, which acts as an outward interfacing tool between producers, clients, and the interested public. A project blog can also be an individual account of a personal project or challenge.
In their most basic sense, blogs are little more than user-owned and -updated websites. Rather than simply providing static information, however, the essence of a blog is to provide constant updates and insights. Most blogs feature regular posts across several pages, and usually contain archives of past writing. A project blog is a blog that is dedicated exclusively to documenting the steps and details of a particular project or undertaking.
Companies frequently use project blogs as a way of fostering communication and information sharing, both within the corporate structure and with the consuming public. When a project is in the research and development stage, accurate note-taking and regular reflection is essential. Most of the time, data of this type is recorded in notebooks or entered into corporate databases. A project blog could just as easily store this data, particularly if team members are in different locations.
One of the perks of the blog format is that it is universally accessible. A multinational corporation with offices in many different places might require researchers to use a project blog both as a way to communicate their steps with each other, as well as to make their actions transparent to managers and supervisory executives. In this way, the blog can serve as a knowledge management tool. This kind of project blog is usually private: that is, is it located exclusively on a corporate intranet, and cannot be accessed by outside parties.
Other corporate project blogs are designed to be public. A company that wants to drum up support for an up-and-coming product, or that wants to keep clients apprised of its progress on a certain issue, might set up a project blog as a sort of outreach. Public project blogs are usually designed as a part of a company’s larger marketing scheme. They frequently allow users and visitors to submit comments, subscribe to receive notification of updates, and interact with project management leaders.
Another type of project blog is a personal account of an individual undertaking, also known as a lifestyle blog. A person who sets out to build a house, for instance, or train a dog, might create a blog documenting his steps and progress. These kinds of blogs are usually designed as a quick way to update lots of people at once. Friends and family can log into the project blog to see how things are coming, which spares the creator from having to write personal updates to a lot of people. The blogs can also serve as records of what was done, and can offer guidance to other people looking to undertake similar projects.