BLOG: Blog v Wiki

Blogs and wikis are both a type of social media platform. They can both be edited collaboratively, however blogs are more likely to be edited by one person and wikis are more likely to be edited by multiple people. 
Blogging is a way for people to express their individual opinion, whether it be biased or unbiased. Nowadays, there are many blogs dedicated to product reviews, lifestyles, comedy, and much more. Review blogs are especially popular. Bloggers give their opinion on certain products, which are invaluable to the average shopper. In the article, "Wal-Mart Tastemakers Write Unfiltered Blog", a blogger writes "Is it really all that and a bag of chips? My life has not changed dramatically - well, for that matter, it hasn't changed at all." He was describing Microsoft's newest operating system at that time, Vista. Wal-Mart was encouraging their employees to give unfiltered opinions about products that the chain carries. This corporate blog was different from the usual, because it gave unedited opinions from little-known buyers, rather than from high-level executives.
On the other hand, wikis are not used to express individual opinion. Although it can be edited by individuals, the content is fact-based. It is not meant to be maintained by experts and professionals. "Instead, it seeks to involve the typical visitor/user in an ongoing process of creation and collaboration that constantly changes the website landscape."
In today's networked world, one social media platform could perform a variety of applications. Both blogs and wikis have biased and unbiased opinions. Both invite collaboration and transmit information. They are becoming more and more similar. One blog could have multiple authors from around the world. When my group of friends all went our separate ways for college, we decided to collaborate on one blog. We wrote about anything, and it was a great way for us to stay in touch and also learn about each other. Since we were all spread out along the east coast, our posts allowed us to have a greater perspective, and to experience each other's daily lives. 


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/business/03walmart.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki

Social Media

My research topic is, "How has social media changed the way we communicate with each other?" I plan on researching how daily communication has changed, how people's lives have been affected, and how social media can be a positive or negative influence for those who frequently use it. Since the invention of the internet, there has been a paradigm shift in regards to communication. No longer does it take days, weeks, or months to communicate with or hear back from someone. On a larger scale, this is undoubtedly beneficial for globalization and cultural diversification. I will research the pros and cons of social media and look at specific related studies to see how communication has changed.