Blog vs Wiki

Blogs and wikis serve similar roles in that they both provide information to its readers, although the kind of information can be different. Wikis tend to be used to gain more knowledge about a specific subject while blogs are used to express opinions on a specific matter. A key difference between them is who gets to edit their content. Wikis can be edited by anyone while blogs are only edited by its author. The only contributions that can be done on blogs are the comments by its readers.

Convergence in today’s networked world is important because it facilitates the consumer's experience. Wikis are a part of this convergence. We no longer have to go through multiple books or articles in order to reach the information we're looking for. Wiki has done this for us already and has even provided citations to the books and articles used in case we wanted to go more in depth with it. As stated previously, wikis are used to gain knowledge. There are wikis that limit who exactly is allowed to make changes to it. In the article “An Internal Wiki That’s Not Classified,” they mention a wiki called Diplopedia that can only be edited by anyone who works in the State Department. Diplopedia contained biographies of the political figures the U.S. ambassador was going to meet. Instead of receiving biographies of people who were attending a political event and then having to print them, the ambassador only needed his Blackberry. This made his life easier and provided easy mobility of the information he needed to know. Eventually I think more governments will use wikis for this purpose.

Both blogs and wikis require collaboration. For example, a blog can provide useful information to a community for those who choose to participate in it. This was the case in Brooklyn. The article “Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to Drug Raid,” shows how useful and important a blog can serve. Community members participated in this blog to bring awareness of the illegal activities going on in their community. As a result of all their efforts they were able to persuade law enforcement to conduct a narcotics investigation which led to multiple arrests. According to the article, the “blogging turned to action, as neighbors started filing complaints with the 68th Precinct Station.” A single blog was able to unite a community to engage in community reforms.

Citation

Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to Drug Raid By MICHAEL WILSON The New York Times June 26, 2008 available at:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/nyregion/26bayridge.html

An Internal Wiki That’s Not Classified by Noam Cohen. The New York Times, August 4, 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/business/media/04link.html