Blog vs. Wiki

Although Blogs and Wikis have somewhat the same idea in terms of sharing information and content many people make the false assumption that they are exactly the same thing. However, the way information is shared as well as the platforms used are very different.

A Wiki is defined as a website that allows many individuals to work in a collaborative manner on a certain web page. Wikis usually link information to other wikis where blogs link to external webpages. Blogs on the other hand are more informal web pages that share ideas and opinions on wide range of topics and is usually edited by one person. The informality of information makes it seem almost like a social media platform where you can give updates about a recent trip or teach your followers on how to bake a cake.

The similarities between Blogs and Wikis is the fact that you do not need advanced coding or computer skills to use them. For example, many blogging platforms such as Blogger and WordPress have already sorted the technical side for you and all you need to do is choose the layout and add your content to your blog.

Collaboration in today's world especially the workplace is very crucial in running a successful organization. Even accountant who are know for keeping to themselves and crunching numbers in a cubical have to work in a collaborative environment. Having said that, its important to understand and use the technologies that help in collaboration such as wikis. According to Margaret Locher's article "More on How to Build Your Own Wiki" she states that Wikis make is easier for diverse organizations to gather and share information on a project to ensure everyone is up to date. In a world thats heading towards telecommuting and working from home, Wikis are an immense asset.

Blogs can also be used for collaboration such as posting relevant information or videos on a certain topic. For example, accounting professionals can use blogs to post and comment about the changes in industry, profession and even discuss job opportunities  among one another. They can even be used by authorities to track and stop crime as discussed in the New York Times Article "Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to a Drug Raid".

Although some professors use wikis to enhance the learning process, such as this class, its a shame many don't take advantage of it. One way wikis can be used is in collaborative classrooms. Yes its not a new way for using wikis but like mentioned before, many people don't understand the power of it and it's advantage over traditional teaching style.

How Effective are YouTube Ads?

For my semester long project, I plan on researching the effectiveness of YouTube video content advertisement vs some of the more common traditional advertising methods such as newspaper, billboards and flyers. This ties in to our recent lecture on old media vs. new and includes a bit of marketing as well. I want to focus more on the economic and financial aspect such as how much more or less revenue is brought in and the cost associated with each. That will be the basis of my research but I will expand my research to other aspects such as difference and similarities including other perspectives mentioned in the assignment description. I plan on using a lot of sources in my research including scholarly approved articles as required.