The digital age has opened the floodgates for users to share their knowledge, personal experiences and unique perspectives with others globally.
By posting a status update to Facebook, a tweet, a vlog on YouTube, a Tumblr post or even a contribution to Wikipedia, members are using the different platforms of digital communication, that are seemingly endless, for self-expression and the sharing of ideas.
These different forms of media communication create communities, a network amongst users and viewers and the chance to connect with a broader audience beyond their immediate family and friends. The opportunity to connect with others, that they may have never met before this technology, is the reason why digital communication is exploding with popularity.
Blogs and Wikis, in particular, are an example of these platforms. Both provide an exchange of information, yet serve different functions for its users.
Blog = a personal experience or knowledge posted by an individual user for the masses that can not be edited by others. Commentary may or may not be added and based on the discretion of the primary user.
Wiki = a collaborative experience with users to edit and create information for the masses. Wikis are also utilized for business and academic purposes.
According to the article, More on How to Build Your Wikipedia, Locher believes wikis in the corporate world are, "making it easier to gather and share information as well as record discussions about a subject, wikis (familiar as the software behind online encyclopedia Wikipedia) can help people improve their processes and get projects done faster" (2008).
Pertaining to blogs, How Can We Measure the Influence of the Blogosphere?, Gill asserts, "Bloggers write about topics that matter to them; their audience may be large or small. Some blogs are single person operations (one to many); others have a community of authors (many to many). They foster community and conversation by allowing readers to comment on postings,
thus becoming an author in turn, or by providing an e-mail address to dialog directly with the blogger" (2004).
Both Blogs and Wikis serve a purpose in this digital world of communication. Which do you prefer?
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Gill, Kathy G. (2004). How Can We Measure the Influence of the Blogosphere?. Retrieved from
http://www.uvm.edu/pdodds/files/papers/others/everything/gill2004a.pdf
Locher, Margaret. (2008). More on How to Build Your Own Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://www.cio.com/article/2436789/time-management-productivity/more-on-how-to-build-your-own-wikipedia.html
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