Blog v Wiki

Lets list some basic differences between a blog and a wiki. A blog: a blog is a personal web page featuring diary/journal type commentary and usually links to outside sources, articles or websites. A blog usually shares opinions and has a one to many communication relationship as in the one author of a post is shared amongst the many readers of that particular blog. Usually a blog post goes stale over time therefore there needs to be a steady stream of posts to keep interest. The amount of content that can be released is relatively slow considering you only have one person to update the blog. A wiki on the other hand is a website whose intent is to spread knowledge by collaborating multiple authors input. A wiki is a many to many communication relationship as in there are multiple authors and editors of a certain post and then it is shared with many other users. Content is constantly being changed and updated, its continuously growing every second.

There is a huge importance on convergence especially in our networked world. There is so much content and information out there on the internet. Blogs and wikis are the catalyst that brings together the variety of information into a concise user friendly website. Blogs are usually opinion related on a variety of subject from politics to fashion to current events. Although blogs arent the first place you look for information with credentials, there is still a lot of useful information you can take away from them. Such as the comments that a user leaves behind. The voices of many is powerful information. It can be used to see what is going on in our heads, what we think is right and wrong, trending and not. It almost like an unofficial survey but kind of better since its unfiltered. Now the thing with wikis is that they are great for obtaining new knowledge on pretty much every subject area. However the thing with wikis is that they can be edited by anyone and although the content is reviewed before submission its not 100% accurate. You kind of have to read and take in the information with a grain of salt. I'm not sure if this has been implemented yet but wikis could try to collaborate with educational institutions and before a post is made, it has to be accredited with being valid information. Or instead of all content being accredited by a institution, at least let the users know which information is accredited.

The internet is a weird and fascinating place where anyones voice can be heard. The information out there is plentiful and worth exploring. Wikis and blogs are two vessels that hold a lot of potential for efficiency and the ability to obtain quick information.