Wikis and blogs may seem similar due to the fact that they are both made and editing by us, normal people, but they are quite different. Firstly, what is a wiki and what is a blog?
Wikis consist of different subjects that can be written about and edited by different people. They are used for contributions. On the other hand a blog is more like a journal, written by one person who puts his/her thoughts down for everyone to read. Now, although wiki is the mainly used for collaboration, blogs could be used for this same reason. If you link different blogs to yours, as we have done, and write about similar yet slightly different subjects it can become closer to what a wiki is. Also, if bloggers give information that journalists would in real time, as a Brooklyn blogger did leading to a drug raid written about in the NY Times, than blogs could be used to help the authorities as well. Blogs can be used for information for consumers as well. A walmart employee helped us get a taste of the products he purchases for the store and let people know what is better for them. Wikis can also be used different than what they have been used for up until now. Mainly, every student knows what Wikipedia is, which is probably the most popular wiki there is. Our class wiki covers topics related to business. I would like to see a wiki that is used for hobbies. This would be a list of different hobbies and different people would be able to share their experiences using this wiki.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/business/03walmart.html
I think you made a great point that when we link our blogs together and all contribute with similar topics but different and individual ideas, it becomes closer to what a Wiki is.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that linking our blogs together is a way for blogs to collaborate but I would like to add on to this idea by saying that the ability to comment on blog posts as well as other individuals comments also allows us to collaborate.
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