Blogs vs. Wikis

1.Two of the main new media outlets these days are found in blogs and wikis. The two offer a platform for people to share information, but cater to different needs on the part of the people inputting the feeds.
They are both easy to access, and are updated in a chronological order, so they are continually up-to-date. The difference is in the source and validation of data. Since blogs are managed by one person, the information is more biased than in a wiki, which is updated by people who come to new realizations, or who find errors in the current inputs, and then “correct” the postings. Blogs can perform as online conversations where people can respond to what is written, but cannot change the author’s entry.
2. Convergence seems to be an inevitable move forward for technological and media sources. It is a process that always seems to come along when two or more systems have been utilized, and the only thing left to do is consolidate. As in the movement of old media into new, it is a growing process. Here, two parallels can meet, and benefit from one another by converging the best components of each, which usually also means that the average consumer can benefit from the upgraded product. The Internet is important because it is a new concept that will continue to grow in the future, incorporating and combining existing media forms and eventually will also foster the creation of entirely new forms of media.
3.Blogs are shared publicly. And in a form of media- the web, which is accessible to anyone at any time. Opinions vary, but when a search is made, and similar opinions are viewed, a collaboration can be made through the open discussions in chat rooms.
4.Wikis can be used to build a collaborative cookbook. One recipe is noted, and according to trial and error, and taste, others can contribute their ingredients.
Sources cited:
http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2005/10/25/blogs_vs_wikis_presentation.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsFU3sAlPx4
http://wiki.media-culture.org.au/index.php/Convergence
http://ccsblog.burtongroup.com/collaboration_and_content/collaboration/