Blogs and wikis can be similar and different altogether. It depends on which aspect you look at and what you consider of the two medium. When it comes to blogs, we might automatically think of journals or events that happen sequentially day by day. Wikis contain concrete information but can sometimes be steered toward a more opinionated set of data.
Convergence in today’s networked world is quite important. Things are coming together; and through blogs and wikis, information can easily be put together and passed on and receive by different people. When I think of networking, I think of broadening out and being able to communicate with people that have the same interest, hobby, or anything that is a common ground for you and that other person. If we zero in on how important it is to communicate with others through blogs and wikis, it is important. People that are introverts can use electronic mediums to reach out and express themselves.
Not only is information converging, but also old and new media. So, we have to factor in that old and new information are converging but also information in general. In the article, Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to Drug Raid by Michael Wilson, Mr. Miller said, “A group of people who did not know each other came together and traded information,” which shows that people are coming together to exchange information through the blogosphere.
Blogging is definitely a way to collaborate with other people and/or blogs. One way is through advertising on the blog, especially through a blogroll on the side of a website. Another way would be putting two totally different things together, like fashion and makeup, to enhance a person’s blog. I’ve seen blog entries from different people specializing in their expertise area.
In my mind, I always thought of wiki as an information center. Where all the basic information is readily there but it doesn’t mean that it’s accurate or credible but it helps in aiding a person to receiving a little background information. It also shows a sense of convergence since so many different people are volunteering to submit information or even building upon the current information. In What motivates Wikipedians? it was stated that “Wikipedia, the Web-based user-created encyclopedia, is a prominent example of a collaborative, user-generated content outlet,” which actually brings people’s mind together and put together knowledgeable facts.
So when it comes down to blogs and wikis; they’re similar in a way that it is used to convey and share information, but they’re also different in a way that one can be more personal than the other. Either way, both are a medium that is used over the internet to express something.
Journey of Blogging through CIS 