Blogs vs Wikis

     A blog can be managed by any individual, not just giant media companies, who can edit, post, and share content to others that read the blog. According to Kathy Gill, “most blog authors are amateurs with a passion; many are subject matter experts. A few are professional writers who use their blogs to further other pursuits” (Gill). The posts can be subjective, from the perspective of the blogger, and written to persuade their readers on certain issues. They can also be informative, educating readers with an analysis on particular a subject. They can even have content that is completely arbitrary, and reaches as far as the creativity of the blogger. A blog is different from a wiki in that one blogger is posting content on the page. Comments may need to be approved before posted on one’s blog. Other users can only respond through the comments, they cannot edit the original post. Blogs are still collaborated works because blogs can be connect through the blogroll, where one’s favorite blogs can be displayed on the side bars or headers. This can link all the relevant information and perspectives about a topic. For example, an economist would most likely follow other blogs that discuss economics to share opinions and debate. Even though each blogger controls their own blog, a reader can access as many other similar pages as there are users.
     A wiki is more collaborated than a blog because any user, with permission, can edit the works on the wiki page. With approval from moderators, every individual that visits the wiki can edit information and create their own pages. This can get messy if multiple people are trying to edit the same page, they disagree on the facts, or even internet “trolls” that will write bogus information. Because of these problems, Wikipedia will implement “flagged revisions, which will require an experienced volunteer editor to sign off on any change made by the public before it can go live” (Cohen). Editors must make sure the information is accurate to the best of knowledge available because millions of users all contributing at once is chaotic without some form of filtering. Wiki pages generally include a references section on the bottom, showing readers the sources for the information posted. This is an attempt to show legitimacy, or the accuracy, of the content. The main difference between a wiki and a blog is who has access to controlling the content. In a blog, it is the owner of that domain; in a wiki, it is a collective work of every one, with moderators reviewing the work. Up until this class, I didn’t realize schools actually created wikis for certain classes. This is a really interesting way to work on a project as a class.
     There are already many wikis for a multitude of things, so it is difficult to come up with one. One cool way I can think of that wikis are not yet used for (to the best of my knowledge) is a page specializing in professions. For example, a wiki designated to accounting would include principles, formulas, government regulations, license requirements. This would apply to other subjects as well: computer science, liberal arts, etc. It would function like a textbook but in a simpler format. I have looked for help online by googling tutorials, but they were so complex, it didn’t help me at all. When I wanted a basic formula to derive something, they give me a wall of text trying to explain it as if I were a professor already. In this wiki, peers and professionals can both add to the key topics of a field: formulas, tips, and real-life examples described in layman’s terms. It is like a textbook we can write as a group.

Works Cited:

     Cohen, Noam. "Wikipedia to Limit Changes to Articles on People." The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 Aug. 2009. Web. 27 Sept. 2016.
     Gill, Kathy E. "How Can We Measure the Influence of the Blogosphere?" Workshop on the Weblogging Ecosystem. University of Washington, May 2004. Web. 27 Sept. 2016.