Well Camino, let's see....have you ever eaten a fresh fig? If not, they're shaped like a small pear, have a purple or a green skin and have a wonderful, sweet soft fruit inside filled with tiny seeds. When you buy dried figs, you're getting a condensed version of this same fruit. There are however, different types of dried figs just as there are different varieties of fresh ones. There are Black Mission figs which are very dark and usually soft and gooey, Calimyrna which are paler in color and are sometimes dryer in texture. Italians string this type of fig into a little circle and sometimes sell them candied with a sugar coating. I like to use Black Mission figs in my baking, since they're nice and soft (like raisins). If you were to bake with fresh figs, they'd most likely fall apart, which is fine if this is the desired result. The flavor would also be much more mild and the liquid content higher with fresh figs.
I hope I answered your question. :-)