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Blogs are now widely used. They can include a combination of text and images and blog entries can be tagged so that postings on the same topic can be easily found.  Blogs can belong to individuals or to research project teams. They are good for recording ideas spontaneously and fairly informally. They can also be used like a diary. So for example, researchers working in the field can share initial research data, or discussions they have had with others, with members of the research team back in the office. 

The Research Team Leader could also use them to record the outcomes of other relevant meetings that they have had – rather than having to update each member of the research team individually.
 
Blogs are really only intended as a one-way communication tool, although there is also an option for readers to comment or give feedback on the posting. 

If you are planning to use blogs as part of the communication strategy for the research project team:

• Make sure that team members feel comfortable with the technology.
• If more than one team member will be using a blog, interlink them so that all can be accessed from the same portal.
• Ensure users update regularly, or point other participants to the blogs on occasion (e.g., by sending out emails with a hyperlink to the blog) to raise awareness of their existence.