Blog V Wiki
Blogs and Wikis are examples of new media that provide us with information and ideas. They both do not require a professional in the field to post their information to their outlet. In fact, anyone can make their own blog or add to a wiki. Both outlets are ways for people to express their thoughts, ideas, and information to everyone. However, the two are a lot different from each other.
A blog is more opinionated and personal. It does not really require a team effort to create since it's just one person or company's ideas being posted. Its main purpose is to express the feelings and thoughts of one side. The only real collaboration would be people leaving comments telling the creator what they thought about what was posted. A blog would be a good way to get one's opinions on certain topics. According to a New York Times article, Walmart has a blog where they are , "now encouraging its merchants to speak frankly, even critically, about the products the chain carries" (Barbaro). With this blog, people can share their opinions on Walmart product and whether or not they like it. Instead of pooling their ideas into one product, they are all saying what they themselves strictly feel about any product. I think blogs can be more collaborative if they pooled related blogs together. For example, all the blogs about dogs can be pooled together to create an opinionated yet still informational database about dogs.
A wiki is more about learning and being collaborative. It's a collection of ideas about one specific topic. These ideas come from anyone who feels like they can add to the wiki regardless of whether they know what they are talking about. Nonetheless, it's sort of like a group project where everyone adds what they think or know about a certain topic. Wikis are good for workplaces since a group of employees all working towards a common goal can collaborate their efforts together in order to bring everyone up to date on what they know kind of like one brain. At a company called EMC, they created a wiki with up-to-date information on their projects and files. According to CIO, "because his team had the most current information, they were able to make better decisions and get the project done faster" (Locher). While wikis are successful in creating collaboration and a knowledge database, I think they can be improved by adding comment sections to them so that people can give their opinions about the wiki. When people give their opinions, it can spark questions that result in further learning and curiosity.
A blog is more opinionated and personal. It does not really require a team effort to create since it's just one person or company's ideas being posted. Its main purpose is to express the feelings and thoughts of one side. The only real collaboration would be people leaving comments telling the creator what they thought about what was posted. A blog would be a good way to get one's opinions on certain topics. According to a New York Times article, Walmart has a blog where they are , "now encouraging its merchants to speak frankly, even critically, about the products the chain carries" (Barbaro). With this blog, people can share their opinions on Walmart product and whether or not they like it. Instead of pooling their ideas into one product, they are all saying what they themselves strictly feel about any product. I think blogs can be more collaborative if they pooled related blogs together. For example, all the blogs about dogs can be pooled together to create an opinionated yet still informational database about dogs.
A wiki is more about learning and being collaborative. It's a collection of ideas about one specific topic. These ideas come from anyone who feels like they can add to the wiki regardless of whether they know what they are talking about. Nonetheless, it's sort of like a group project where everyone adds what they think or know about a certain topic. Wikis are good for workplaces since a group of employees all working towards a common goal can collaborate their efforts together in order to bring everyone up to date on what they know kind of like one brain. At a company called EMC, they created a wiki with up-to-date information on their projects and files. According to CIO, "because his team had the most current information, they were able to make better decisions and get the project done faster" (Locher). While wikis are successful in creating collaboration and a knowledge database, I think they can be improved by adding comment sections to them so that people can give their opinions about the wiki. When people give their opinions, it can spark questions that result in further learning and curiosity.
Wikis feel way more inclusive than a blog post; a blog post in its entireity is a single authors voice, but putting multiple voices together, as in a wiki, often creates something much more greater.
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