Blogs vs Wikis

      Blogs and wikis are two very different things, and while they may both accomplish the same task at times there are many different uses for them. Both of these types of websites allow the whole networked internet to read them, however wiki's allow all users to edit, change, and add material. A blog on the other hand is generally used as a journal, with only one user adding and creating material. For example, user "Mud Puppy" created a blog that gave readers a day by day update on being over in Iraq on the front lines and included stories of bombings and other situations. In this sense, blogs are more helpful in capturing a usually specific audience and providing them with stories, feelings, emotions, as well as information. Wiki's on the other hand are generally about cold hard facts to help educate its users. However since wiki's may be edited by almost anyone, there must be a constant policing of information to make sure it is correct. Wikipedia has limited the amount of data that can be edited by regular users to an extent because of this.

     Blogs can be used for collaboration by allowing blog users, who both write on the same topic whether it be sports, technology, or politics, to pool their experiences, thoughts, and feelings and create a larger audience. Bloggers may also follow other blogs with similar topics, just as we did with adding a blog roll,  to create a never ending list of blogs regarding certain areas. An interesting use for wiki's that I have never seen done is to use it for a group project, whether it be for work or school. Group members, can range from as little as 5 to  hundreds in certain cases, and  the project may be branched out into different categories. A wiki could be an easy way to organize the information that encompasses the project and make it available for others to view and add too.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/us/09milblogs.html?ref=politics

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/technology/internet/25wikipedia.html?_r=1