The title is a statement of fact in the positive sense, i.e. blending is required and if done correctly will improve performance. We here at netoCiety have always thought this as we communicate in our standard site bumph here (section on What is...). What has reinforced this for us are two pieces of intelligence from the marketplace.

The first is from a Gartner report, A Blend of Wikis, Blogs and Discussion Forums Can Support Collaborative Business Activities - 27 November 2006. It covers the software, especially open-source products, for wikis, blogs and discussion forums that can support general business collaboration. It offers an evaluation guide to existing solutions and assumes that the best results are to be gained from a mix of collaboration styles and tools. ATLASSIAN'S CONFLUENCE COMES OUT ON TOP as one of the most "blended" of tools! This pleases us no end because we are a reseller of Confluence so it's good to know we picked a winner

The other is from McKinsey's study (available online here) which I reread the other day! The diagram from the study which sums up the point best is below:

The point in this instance is not so much that the components will be blended but that relatively equal consideration will be given to each component and the assumption is that there will be an attempt to blend them, or at least there should be! Each component has its own role, merits and failings but we believe that it is only together that they make more than the sum of individual parts. As to whether this is best done though integration of best of breed solutions or though a single end-to-end solution is a matter for discussion at another time...