Blogs and Wikis are vehicles for communication via the great highway we call the internet. The great advantage these two offer is their ease of use: Users need not know HTML to operate Blogs or Wikis. Moreover, both have the capability to reach a plethora of audiences around the globe.
Blogs are used to share the thoughts and opinions of individuals. In other words, Blogs are more personal compared to Wikis. Blogs can be thought of as web memoirs and journals. For instance, Blogs are utilized by soldiers deployed outside the country, “ an Army specialist nicknamed Mud Puppy maintained a blog irreverently chronicling life at the front, from the terror of roadside bombs to the tyrannies of master sergeants” (Dao 1). The article goes on to explain how Pentagon is apprehensive of unregulated Blog posts by soldiers and the overall power of social media. The key takeaway from this article is that Blogs allow audiences to hear the voices of soldiers like Mud Puppy. This article also shows how Blogs can be used for collaboration, “The Army is encouraging personnel of all ranks to go online and collaboratively rewrite seven of its field manuals” (Dao 2). Blogs are often the work of an individual, but it can also be used for joint efforts. Blogs reflect the character and personality of an individual through their style of writing, content, and posts. Another key difference between Blogs and Wikis is that feedback from readers is permissible in Blogs. Readers can comment on a Blog post creating communication between the author and readers.
Wikis are more formal and objective. Wikis can be thought of as digital encyclopedias outsourced to multiple users via the internet. Whereas Blogs are usually handled by an individual, Wikis are the collaborative product of multiple authors who can create wiki pages and edit posts of others. One way Wikis are being utilized is through businesses, “Thanks to the Web, and networks in general, the cost of publishing and sharing information has diminished substantially — which makes wikis the killer app for corporations. Wikis can centralize all types of corporate data, such as spreadsheets, Word documents, PowerPoint slides, PDFs — anything that can be displayed in a browser” (Goodnoe 2). Convergence and the proper facilitation of information are important in today’s networked world.
We live in a time of globalization. An aircraft with the stamp “Made in the USA” has lost its meaning. The numerous components that go into building an aircraft are manufactured and outsourced elsewhere around the globe. Many countries contribute into building one product. Collaboration and convergence are inevitable in today’s networked world. Global corporations rely on massive supply chains to function. New Media technologies allow respective entities in the supply chain to fulfill multiple roles. The convergence of roles elevates efficiency and effectiveness in the supply chain. Blogs and Wikis are just few examples of the many collaborative forces that are amplifying the juggernaut we call globalization.
I believe that a dedicated wiki page of food for college students would be a great idea. Yelp is great, but I think it is flawed in that the comments involve personal opinions and the particular mood of the person he/she was in when they made the comment. By that I mean, you have to sift through lots of useless, unhelpful reviews. A wiki page will be objective in taste, pricing, location, service, and etc. The collaborative and informational attributes of Wikis will help minimize useless information on food.
Works Cited
"How to Use Wikis for Business," by Ezra Goodnoe, Information Week, August 8, 2005. Web. June 16 2016.
"Pentagon Keeps Wary Watch as Troops Blog" By James Dao, The NY Times, September 8, 2009. Web. June 16 2016.
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