In
the past, individuals would have to acquire materials in order to read and
comprehend the information. However, in today's networked world, individuals
are able to share their personal thoughts, opinions, and ideas with
others globally. This allows for endless amounts of information to be at our
fingertips to increase our knowledge.
There
are two types of portals to extract information, blogs and wikis. A blog is an
abbreviated version of "weblog," this term is used to describe a
website that serves almost as a personal journal for one individual, intended
for the public eye. This is an ongoing thread of information that appears in
reverse chronological order. On the other hand, there is a wiki which is a
website that allows for collaborative: adding, editing, and organization of its
content and structure upon multiple users.
This
pair has several distinctive features that can make them easily identifiable
from each other. Blogs are used to broadcast opinion-based context. This type
of information-sharing builds up slowly over time, in which the posts age and
no longer become relevant. In this discussions take place in the comment section
of the post, which the blogger must approve of before it is actually posted.
This established a one-to-many content, in which one user is in ample control
of their posts. There are scenarios in which blogs can be used for
collaboration. According to a New York Times article, “Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead
to Drug Raid,” it elaborates upon how a group of bloggers started sharing what
they heard around their block. A thread was created among a group of three
bloggers in which they discussed what they noticed going on in one certain
house on the block. This house was then brought to the 68th Precinct
Station’s attention to start a narcotics investigation. “But peering turned to
blogging, and blogging turned to action, as neighbors started filing
complaints,” (Wilson, 5).
Whereas,
wikis are primarily used to share fact-based information which then can grow
rapidly, through the 24 hours of the day. This means that the discussion can
take place on pages or in the discussion forum, in which the articles can also
be changed constantly. This establishes a many-to-many connection, that allows
for multiple users to act as an "admin". Wikis can be vital to a
company’s success as well. Not only are most the tools free but it is also very
easy to search and navigate. In a business setting, a team can collaboratively
work and contribute to update information on an upcoming project. This allows
all users to be up to speed with the project and have everyone on the team on
the same page. This can allow for better decisions to be made, and time to be
used effectively (Locher). Wikis can be applied to several different fields to
aid its success. Wikis could be used for party planning for any kind of event.
Multiple users can have access to the wiki and can add vast amounts of data
about different areas such as catering, venue, decorations, etc. This can be a
safe spot to share details that are crucial.
Citation:
Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to
Drug Raid By MICHAEL WILSON The New York Times June 26, 2008
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.
