Blogs and Wiki'

The Pen Meets Technology

A blog is an electronic journal posted to an web based format.  A blog can be anything the author desires from  political, religious, social, hobby minded etc.  It is a way for an individual or group to express their opinions on a wide range of topics while giving their audience a chance to way in.  A blog can be a unique expression or a confrontational debate.  It is limitless for an author who has a voice to share with the web world. The authors post are displayed in chronological order in a magazine like format that can be updated frequently; daily, hourly, minute by minute as an subject or interest occurs. A blog can  contains links, adds or affiliations that can often generate traffic and income.

Wiki What, Wiki Who?

A wiki is a web site that lets any visitor become a participant. They are free to create or edit the website.  All you need is a internet connection, a computer and a gift for gab or a need to express that you are knowledgeable in a certain area (Rather you are or not) A wiki reminds me of open source software as far as it being a collaboration, except with open source the contributors have years of developed skills, when the wiki contributors just have to roll out of bed.  Wiki's have a lot of critics because they are easily edited (see screen shot A shown below)and the edits are hard to trace.  Wikis allow you to post anonymously where only the Ip address is shown or by user name that the author creates (see screen shot B shown below)  A con for using wiki is that online researchers confuse wikis with fact and that can sometimes prove to be confusing; dangerous at worst.

A

B

A wiki, in my opinion is more like a work of art that is beautifully done and allows for simplistic collaboration without fact. Wikis are great at face value, that's it.  I completely support any site or gathering place of self that encourages individual or group expression and collaboration, but that is where my support ends.  Wikis are nothing more than official looking blog post and should be referred to as such.  Its available in scores of languages and is referred to as an encyclopedia on its home page.  Unless the definition of encyclopedia has changed since I have flipped through the hard cover in search for facts that could be cited.  Since there is no stopping Wikis, I think there should be a warning on the home page for unsuspecting readers so they will at least been warned by the owner.

Wiki's are a good starting place, but a terrible ending and should never be considered your only source of information.

After reviewing other resources about Wikis, my opinion has not changed.  Wikis are like a bad habit. You know you shouldn't, but you can't help yourself.  If you use Wiki information as your only source, you will spend the rest of your time regretting it.