Blog V. Wiki

In the age of web 2.0 and new media, it's important to distinguish the difference between two popular ways to publish on the internet, they're known as blogs and Wikis.  They're both based on the web where users are nearly given all freedom to do as they please on different kind of platforms for different uses and purposes. They are both, however, tools utilized by the newer generation regularly

"Wikis harness the wisdom of crowds, serving as virtual commons where participants can wrestle over ideas and information until something approaching consensus - or the truth - emerges" (Morse, HBR) This quote, published in the Harvard Business Review, best encompasses wiki as a whole. Wiki, largely used as a informational site, is made by a series of contributors all over the Internet. Since they were founded in 2001 (Stutter, CNN), has always been about the user and what they can contribute. People edit, re-edit, and edit again the contents until something becomes agreeable in the general community. Wikipedia did place some rules around mass information spreading now because of the forewarning of chaos and uncertainty of the validity of the information written.

Blogging on the other hand, although there are some similarities, is used for different purposes. It is a much more informal site that users use, and it's not always for informational dissemination. The online platform for blogging allows for free thought and expression. One example would be how people in the army utilize online blogging to talk about life in Afghanistan (Dao, NYT). Since blogging is a lot more informal, there have been speculations over cyber security and the imagine of blogging itself. For example, when Yahoo acquired Tumblr, there was backlash from the users and also the plateau in users. Having a corporate face to an informal environment clashed with the original face of blogging.

Bercovici, Jeff. "Yahoo's Next Problem: Tumblr's Traffic Isn't Growing." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 15 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 Mar. 2017.

Dao, James. "Pentagon Keeps Wary Watch as Troops Blog." The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 Sept. 2009. Web. 01 Mar. 2017.

Morse, Gardiner. "Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales on Making the Most of Company Wikis."Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Review, 31 July 2014. Web. 01 Mar. 2017.

Stutter, John D. "Wikipedia: No Longer the Wild West?" CNN. CNN, 26 Aug. 2009. Web. 1 Mar. 2017.