Blogs vs. Wikis

Blogs: A blog is short for "web log" and is considered a shared online diary. The blog tools can be shared to whole course or the settings can allow for sharing between specific student groups and the instructor. Blogs can be used for more engaging content than the text-based. Blogs are open to the public and viewable by all members of the course or within specific groups.
Common uses for blogs include: individual projects specifically using multi-media links, virtual proposals, reflective entries to be shared, and peer review and feedback

Wikis: A wiki is a collaborative online space for students to view, contribute, and edit content. The instructor can see the process and evolution of the collaborative work and grade each participant individually. Wikis are collaborative and viewable by all members of the course or specific groups. Common uses for wikis include: group projects, research projects, team writing assignments, student filled in study guides, student generated vocabulary lists, and group editing.
Ezra Goodnoe discusses how wikis can be beneficial for business. This article is so important because he demonstrates how we can apply the online world to the real world in practice. Goodnoe explains the benefits of using a wiki, which he defines as "collaboration software that solves all these problems, yet unlike many traditional content management systems, remains simple enough for non-technical employees to use." That is key; anyone can use wikis they are approachable and simple to manage. Goodnoe speaks about the financial benefits of using wikis and how the can help promote a business in a cost-effective manner. Wikis are web pages that anyone (sometimes with permission) can create or edit.

Convergence is extremely important in today's networked world. There are so many outlets today that allow for an interaction using networks like never before. This convergence brings people together and information can be conveyed in so many different forms. We have the Internet and various mediums that converge all this information in a way that is accessible to man. Knowledge is now out there for everyone to take advantage of. People from anywhere in the world can converge with others in a way that was never possible before because of the network system we have created. Even if people are not physically connected, they can converge and interact on different forums and we have developed as a society greatly because of these advancements. 

Blogs help you to share what you’re doing with the world. Blogs can provide direct collaboration when you put ideas out there and ask people to respond by adding their point of view. Blogs encourage collaboration by allowing education about one's expertise and allowing others to apply that information to themselves. People can get recommendations from blogs and get conversations going. It can become a team effort and a network of people interested in the same topic sharing thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and feedback. Kathy Gill conducted a research study How can we measure the influence of the Blogosphere. In this study, Gill investigated the influence that blogs have on media and what public opinion of blogs. Blogs have a global and larger impact than simple collaboration between people. Gill's paper shows that blogs are impacting the "mainstream press by stimulating professional journalists to blog, on or off their employer site." In addition, blogs are shaping stories in the news and political agenda. This is the scope that blogs have on our society. As Gill found, bloggers are influencing the outside world.

New use for wiki: I'm not sure if this has been used before with wikis or not, but it would be cool if people can use wikis for weddings. Create a page let's say Sarah's Wedding and then I would put all the vendors I used and everything I had at my wedding and definitions or explanations for everything. That way, if someone went to another person's wedding and like certain things all of the information would be on a wiki page for them to look up. I am in the middle of planning my wedding right now and I know that I would definitely use wikis for this purpose. 

References:

"How to Use Wikis for Business," by Ezra Goodnoe.  

How Can We Measure the Influence of the Blogosphere? by Kathy E. Gill.