Blog+vs.+Wiki

Web 2.0 - just the beginning Blogs vs. Wikis

This page has been started by the facilitator to drill down a bit more on the question of: What is the difference between a blog and a wiki?

A goal of this course, is to use wiki's and blogs to learn about wiki's and blogs. Let this page serve as a open forum for all to add their knowledge.

Googling the topic gives you a long list of answers. A few follow:
 * []
 * []
 * []

The short answer is: A //**blog**// is written by //**one**// and a **//wiki//** is the result of a contribution by **//many//**.

From a Language Arts //point of view//, a compare/contrast table can be produced as follows.
 * ~  ||~ ** Blog ** ||~ **Wiki** ||
 * = **Authorship** ||= one person ||= many - ideally an authoritative group ||
 * = **Narrative** ||= first person pronouns acceptable ||= third person - I, we, us not used. The text is a product of group knowledge. There is no way for the reader to know who "I" is. ||
 * = **Conversations** ||= via comments ||= via discussions ||
 * = **Fact or Opinion** ||= both, but facts need substantiation because single authorship would require better authenticity. ||= Each Contributor states facts as they know them. Disputed facts are flagged and discussed via the page's discussion board. Unflagged contributions are then considered authentic. The reader can refer to the discussion for flagged facts to draw their own conclusion. ||
 * = **Reader Assumptions** ||= Reader knows that it is **one** person's writing and will measure authenticity accordingly. ||= readers should know the information produced on a wiki is dynamic (subject to change) and will use their own method to substantiate. Discussion board is consulted to help reader draw conclusions. ||
 * = **Relevancy** ||= Each entry in a blog stands on its own and is dated. A year old entry may loose its relevancy. ||= A wiki page should and can be updated for relevancy and should not become dated. ||