Differences between Blogs and Journals in Blackboard

Blogs and Journals in Blackboard look and behave in similar ways.  They both provide Blog like features and functionalities.  The key difference between the two is that Blogs are shared within the course, and journals are usually private.

Differences between Blogs and Journals
Type Blogs Journals
Course-wide (For overall course)
  • n/a
Group
  • Accessed via group area.
  • Need to set up groups to use it.
  • Any member of group can post.
  • Anyone else can view and post comments.  If you want this then add a Blogs tool link in your course menu to give users an easy way to access all blogs.
  • Anonymous blog entries and comments may be made, this is the default option but can be disabled by editing the blog via Control Panel -> Blogs
  • Click here for the guide.
  • Accessed via group area.
  • Need to set up groups to use it.
  • Any member of group can post.
  • All group members can see each other’s journal posts.
  • You can choose whether non-group members should be able to view posts by group members or not, by default non-groups members can view journal posts of other groups.
  • No anonymous posts nor comments.
  • Click here for the guide.
Individual
  • Accessed via Blogs screen or by adding Blog to Content area from Tools menu.
  • Each user has their own area where they can post (they click on their own name to find it).
  • All other students can read and make comments.
  • Only anonymous comments may be made
  • Click here for the guide.
  • These are best added within a Content area from Tools menu.
  •  Each user has their own journal.
  •  Instructors can set the journals to be private or shared.
  •  A private journal can only be viewed by the student themselves and the instructor, the shared journal can be read by all course users.
  • No anonymous posts nor comments
  • Click here for the guide.
When using blogs it can be beneficial to add a blog link to your course menu.