Blog vs. Wiki

Now that we have all created our blogs and have been using our class wiki, we should have all noticed a difference between the two platforms. In general, wikis are websites with interconnected web pages that are created and edited by its users. These pages can cover one topic or a broad range of topics. Wiki edits are usually done through a simplified markup language. Some sites allow anyone to make changes while others may have security blocks that limit who can view, edit, or add new links to the wiki. Wikis are often edited in real time. When someone makes a revision on a wiki from New York, the next person to view it in California will see this change. Wikis are interactive, involving the wiki user if they choose. (Wikipedia on Wikis)

Blogs on the other hand are more passive in a sense. Normally, one person or a group of people will be allowed to post articles on a particular blog. Other bloggers or visitors can leave comments in response to these posts. However, they cannot edit the actual content of these blogs unless they have access. Basically, an author(s) writes the blogs and readers read them and comment if they choose.

Both wikis and blogs have now grown in popularity. The most famous wiki is www.Wikipedia.com, an online encyclopedia known for both its information and inaccuracy. Some popular blogs are www.perezhilton.com, which covers celebrity tales or www.engadget.com, a source for technology enthusiasts. Blogs and wikis have also been the topic of controversy. Wikipedia has enacted stricter editing policies in the past few years to deter vandalists and to check sources ("Wikipedia to Limit Changes to Articles on People" by Noam Cohen, The New York Times, August 24, 2009). The US military has had trouble with soldier's blogs which may leak sensitive information or be used as an entrance for viruses or hackers into their systems. ("Pentagon Keeps Wary Watch as Troops Blog" By James Dao, The NY Times, September 8, 2009.) Societies and individuals also worry that blogs may become a new source for online bullying and defamation without the appropriate consequences ("Stung by the Perfect Sting," By Maureen Dowd, The NY Times, Aug 25, 2009).

Although issues with wikis and blogs may arise at times, our world today is shaped by the convergence of new media with our lives. Take Wikipedia for example, although some of their information may be inaccurate, for the most part, it gives us a great amount of information needed for class research. Even if we are not to use or cite from Wikipedia, it is a great starting point for further research into a topic. Though we personally may not keep a blog, some of us do visit them for our daily scoop of celebrity gossip, entertainment, or research when it comes to buying new technology. For example, I read many camera reviews a few months ago when shopping for one, and many of the reviews came from electronics bloggers. Stores like Walmart have even utilized blogs to facilitate consumer correspondence regarding products that it sells. Although correspondence in this way is very different from traditional communication between Walmart and a single consumer directly, it is efficient as consumers relate to each other which products are worth their money or which products they should buy to improve their lifestyles. This way, consumers are free to talk amongst themselves and Walmart is free to read their posts in order to serve them better (Wal-Mart Tastemakers Write a Blunt and Unfiltered Blog, NY Times, march 3, 2008.).

As mentioned above, Walmart has found a way to allow consumers to utilize blogs in a collaborative way. Another example of blogs used in collaboration is with a drug bust case in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Residents of 93rd Street in Bay Ridge blogged about their neighborhood crack house and its unruly tenants. A core group of bloggers which met on this neighborhood blog got together and brought the case to the community board and authorities. Through their collaborative efforts on the blog over the course of a year, arrests were finally made (Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to Drug Raid By MICHAEL WILSON The New York Times June 26, 2008).

There are as many uses for blogs as there are for wikis. Wikis can be used by the public (wikipedia), by businesses, and even by schools. We are using a wiki in our class. However, I think Baruch students can benefit even more if wikis were introduced into every classroom. I once had a Sociology professor that wanted to develop a class wiki for terms, definitions, and notes but decided against it as she thought it was too troublesome. I too thought so at the time. But now having had some exposure in this class, I feel that it is manageable if it were introduced to all students and professors on a larger scale. If each class was given one or two lessons, they could easily learn the rest as they go along. I think using wikis in class would be a great resource for all. Students can collaboratively put up notes on class readings and assignments. Doing so may give students a greater incentive to complete their work as they must also contribute to the class wiki. This can also be a one stop source for study notes. Students can also help each other if they have difficulty under-sanding the class material.