Blogs and wikis are two forms of new media widely used in today’s society. Both blogs and wikis play an important role in the convergence of technology. Today we have become a quick, easy, and instant society, so convergence media such a blogs and wikis allow us to communicate and share information easily and quickly.
Before this class, I basically considered wikis to be the new media version of an encyclopedia, and a blog to be the new media version of a person’s diary or journal. However, I have come to realize that blogs and wikis go much deeper than that. Blogs and wikis serve as a platform for writing and sharing information online. The purpose of wikis is to usually collect factual information, while blogs are more opinion-based. Blogs and wikis can function for both personal and business purposes. According to Margaret Locher, “Diverse organizations, including businesses, schools and government agencies, are waking up to the benefits of wikis… [because it is] easier to gather and share information as well as record discussions about a subject.”
Though similar, they have some significant differences including their content, format, and purpose. In terms of format, each wiki page has its own theme, whereas a blog has many different posts with their individual themes. Unlike blogs, wikis are meant to be worked on by more than one person. With a wiki, contributors can continuously add and edit the information of others. With a blog, there is only one person or group that is able to create posts. Although people may have the opportunity to comment, the focus is still on the creator’s post and everyone else’s idea is seen as follow-up. Because of its comment style, blogs are better for conversation and not ideal for collaboration like wikis are. However there are specific blogs, called collaborative blogs, where a specific group of people all share a username/password and can post/edit on the same blog. An example of a collaborative blog, is Dailykos, which is a political blog that allows users to post on the site.
Wikis have become so popular, it is difficult to think of a new use for it. As the need for information grows, I am sure wikis will have significant impact on information and its accessibility.
Before this class, I basically considered wikis to be the new media version of an encyclopedia, and a blog to be the new media version of a person’s diary or journal. However, I have come to realize that blogs and wikis go much deeper than that. Blogs and wikis serve as a platform for writing and sharing information online. The purpose of wikis is to usually collect factual information, while blogs are more opinion-based. Blogs and wikis can function for both personal and business purposes. According to Margaret Locher, “Diverse organizations, including businesses, schools and government agencies, are waking up to the benefits of wikis… [because it is] easier to gather and share information as well as record discussions about a subject.”
Though similar, they have some significant differences including their content, format, and purpose. In terms of format, each wiki page has its own theme, whereas a blog has many different posts with their individual themes. Unlike blogs, wikis are meant to be worked on by more than one person. With a wiki, contributors can continuously add and edit the information of others. With a blog, there is only one person or group that is able to create posts. Although people may have the opportunity to comment, the focus is still on the creator’s post and everyone else’s idea is seen as follow-up. Because of its comment style, blogs are better for conversation and not ideal for collaboration like wikis are. However there are specific blogs, called collaborative blogs, where a specific group of people all share a username/password and can post/edit on the same blog. An example of a collaborative blog, is Dailykos, which is a political blog that allows users to post on the site.
Wikis have become so popular, it is difficult to think of a new use for it. As the need for information grows, I am sure wikis will have significant impact on information and its accessibility.
Sources:
Wiki While You Work; The technology popularized by Wikipedia can help companies gather and manage their own collective knowledge. Here's how to get started by Margaret Locher. CIO, May 1, 2008. Vol. 21, Iss. 14. Available at:
http://www.cio.com/article/336818/More_on_How_to_Build_Your_Own_Wikipedia
Wikipedia on Collaborative Blog
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_blog
http://www.cio.com/article/336818/More_on_How_to_Build_Your_Own_Wikipedia
Wikipedia on Collaborative Blog
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_blog
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