Blogs
The closest thing I've ever had to a blog before this one was Xanga, way back when that was cool, around the age of thirteen. I complained about trivial things, and had a countdown until the day I would get a new dog. If you had told me that in seven years I'd be using blogs to track down information and using them in the workplace, I would have laughed at you.
Now, look at us. Wordpress, blogger, tumblr - the internet is filled with websites begging people to create accounts and share their thoughts. While a blog can be used as a personal ranting space, businesses have also embraced the medium, and some businesses have been born through the use of blogs. At my job, I update the blog, making various announcements about our accomplishments, any changes, discounts, etc. The blog makes us more accessible to the public, and people feel closer to us. It's a brilliant marketing tool.
Then, the Recording Engineering based blog Sonicscoop.com. Created by David Weiss, the blog started out as a community for engineers to come together and update each other on new software and brilliant engineers. Now, the blog is the go-to source for any engineer, and David Weiss interviews some of the world's most renowned recording engineers and producers. A blog can not only contribute to a company's success, but it can create a company from scratch as well.
Wikis
Where a blog offers room for opinions, a sort of community among its users, Wikis are mainly sources of factual information provided by a group of volunteers. It may lack some of that family idealogy that comes with being a member or contributor to a blog, but a wiki allows for content from anyone, and then the opportunity for other volunteers to add and contribute to that content. While a single blog is usually posted by a single author, a single wiki page can have countless numbers of editors.
It's proven to be an incredibly useful tool for business and organizations as well. Take, for example, the Diplopedia mentioned in the NY Times article "An Internal Wiki That's Not Classified" by Noam Cohen. An internal wiki used by the U.S. Embassy in Rome eliminates the need for countless memos and is accessible by anyone on the staff who has a smartphone. Staff can access the biographies of the people they are meeting with before they even arrive to the office. All of a sudden, each and every member of staff plays an important role in the education of their coworkers. While a collaborative blog such as this is hugely helpful to the organization, there are downsides to the idea of anyone being able to contribute.
Did anyone watch the Grammy's? Esperanza Spalding, a relatively unknown artist by anyone who depends on z100 or the Top 40 for their musical entertainment, scored the Grammy for this year's Best New Artist. However, she was up against Justin Bieber himself, ladies and gentlemen, and J. Biebz losing to someone whose name most of his 15 year old fans can't even pronounce was just unacceptable to those fans. And so, Ms. Spalding's Wikipedia page was hacked. I didn't get to see exactly what was said, but I can't imagine it was remotely true or incredibly nice. The idea that an angry 15 year old girl can alter the stream of information received by the general public is what ruins the credibility of wikis.
Fortunately, an article posted in the New York Times titled "Wikipedia to Limit Changes to Articles on People" by Noam Cohen announces that the information on Wikipedia is about to be monitored by "expert editors", and will have to receive approval before being made public. I feel as though this type of procedure will greatly increase the credibility of Wikipedia and help to make it a website that can not only be used as a collaborative project for businesses and organizations, but also one that they can trust.
Links Mentioned:
- SonicScoop: http://www.sonicscoop.com/
- "An Internal Wiki That's Not Classified" - Noam Cohen: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/business/media/04link.html?_r=1
- Esperanza Spalding Wikipedia Page is Hacked: http://www.twirlit.com/2011/02/14/esperanza-spalding-wikipedia-page-hacked-by-angry-bieber-fans/
- "Wikipedia To Limit Changes to Articles on People" - Noam Cohen: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/technology/internet/25wikipedia.html?_r=1
P.S. Just found that link for the Esperanza Spalding info. Esperanza Quesadilla Spalding? Really?
Very interesting article "Esperanza Spalding Wikipedia Page is Hacked", thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBlogs have seriously evolved over time, I remember the times where we have xanga and when Myspace is still popular but now, Myspace is dead, in my opinion. Due to their interface and usability. Facebook have developed themselves based on Myspace's flaw. I can already see another social networking site like Facebook and Myspace in the near future.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDelete@Tony: I still can't believe I spent the majority of my teen years changing my Myspace layout over and over, and I can't pinpoint the exact day where I decided I was leaving Myspace for Facebook. It's a scary idea for social networking, because as a public, our attention spans for these sites is pretty limited. I'm sure if your prediction is true, we'll have no problem ditching Facebook for whatever new fad comes our way.