Blog vs. Wiki
Technology today has led us into an era of information overflow. By this I mean that there are more and more ways to gain information, insight, news, etc. (Instead of having to watch the news, or read a textbook). Two things that play a big role in this era of technology are blogs and wikis. Both of these, with their own unique characteristics, help individuals put out content, as well as receive content quickly and efficiently. One main thing many people associate with blogs is the personal touch many blogs have. An individual who is interested in something like fashion could design their own unique blog to showcase their love for fashion to the whole world. A wiki is known for its collaborative aspect as anyone can add information or edit information on any specific wiki.
Wikis and blogs both are examples of how important human (and technological) convergence are important in today's tech-filled society. When you have a large number of individuals coming together over a certain topic (such as a topic on a wiki), it invokes a wide range of opinions on a certain topic, helping all individuals gain new perspectives on a variety of different topics. The same goes for blogs as they too show the convergence of people. Although blogs aren't as blatantly collaborative as a wiki, they too give room for collaboration through being able to create comment threads responding to certain blog posts. However, this convergence and collaboration isn't always for the best. Good things can always be used in the wrong ways. People can spread false information on blogs and wikis, misleading people to take the wrong information as fact. An example of this could be certain "health blogs" that give false nutritional advice that many people believe but could end up hurting them in the long run. As described by Maureen Down, the convergence of many people on these blogs can also lead to horrible things such as bullying and hate being thrown at people. According to Down, the famous model, Liskula Cohen, was bombarded by a blog filled with hate calling her things like "Skankiest in NYC" and a "ho" along with many other forms of hate. It's bad to say these things in person, but when it't put on something as public as a blog, it opens the door to more hateful people to add on to the bullying which would do nothing but hurt the individual being attacked even more. Just like anything in life, good technology can be used in bad ways.
Wikis have a myriad of uses that have been seen throughout the years. Recently, wikis have finally found a way to get into the professional scene and in workplaces. In the article "An Internal Wiki That’s Not Classified", by Noam Cohen, there was one line that stood out to me about wikis in the workplace. This line was "the decision to embrace wikis is part of a changing ethic at the department, from a 'need to know culture' to a 'need to share culture'". This shows how the introduction of wikis fostered a collaborative environment that in the end, will help everyone. Piggybacking off this, I felt that one use for wikis that I personally haven't seen would be a wiki used for majors in Baruch. For example, there would be a wiki for Finance majors where everyone in the major can collaborate to add in new news, information, formulas, help with financial calculators, etc. I believe the introduction for this would greatly help students in any major.
Works Cited;
An Internal Wiki That’s Not Classified by Noam Cohen. The New York Times, August 4, 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/business/media/04link.html
"Stung by the Perfect Sting," By Maureen Dowd, The NY Times, Aug 25, 2009. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/opinion/26dowd.html
Wikis and blogs both are examples of how important human (and technological) convergence are important in today's tech-filled society. When you have a large number of individuals coming together over a certain topic (such as a topic on a wiki), it invokes a wide range of opinions on a certain topic, helping all individuals gain new perspectives on a variety of different topics. The same goes for blogs as they too show the convergence of people. Although blogs aren't as blatantly collaborative as a wiki, they too give room for collaboration through being able to create comment threads responding to certain blog posts. However, this convergence and collaboration isn't always for the best. Good things can always be used in the wrong ways. People can spread false information on blogs and wikis, misleading people to take the wrong information as fact. An example of this could be certain "health blogs" that give false nutritional advice that many people believe but could end up hurting them in the long run. As described by Maureen Down, the convergence of many people on these blogs can also lead to horrible things such as bullying and hate being thrown at people. According to Down, the famous model, Liskula Cohen, was bombarded by a blog filled with hate calling her things like "Skankiest in NYC" and a "ho" along with many other forms of hate. It's bad to say these things in person, but when it't put on something as public as a blog, it opens the door to more hateful people to add on to the bullying which would do nothing but hurt the individual being attacked even more. Just like anything in life, good technology can be used in bad ways.
Wikis have a myriad of uses that have been seen throughout the years. Recently, wikis have finally found a way to get into the professional scene and in workplaces. In the article "An Internal Wiki That’s Not Classified", by Noam Cohen, there was one line that stood out to me about wikis in the workplace. This line was "the decision to embrace wikis is part of a changing ethic at the department, from a 'need to know culture' to a 'need to share culture'". This shows how the introduction of wikis fostered a collaborative environment that in the end, will help everyone. Piggybacking off this, I felt that one use for wikis that I personally haven't seen would be a wiki used for majors in Baruch. For example, there would be a wiki for Finance majors where everyone in the major can collaborate to add in new news, information, formulas, help with financial calculators, etc. I believe the introduction for this would greatly help students in any major.
Works Cited;
An Internal Wiki That’s Not Classified by Noam Cohen. The New York Times, August 4, 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/business/media/04link.html
"Stung by the Perfect Sting," By Maureen Dowd, The NY Times, Aug 25, 2009. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/opinion/26dowd.html
Comments
Post a Comment