Blogs vs. Wikis

Compare and contrast blogs and wikis.

Blog attributes:
Usually single author
Reverse chronological structure
Usually personal
External links

Wiki attributes:
Usually many authors
Incremental structure determined by content and users
Usually objective
Internal and external links

Blogs seem best suited for the individual. One is able to express a passionate opinion, and control the content and comments.
Wikis are best suited for collaboration. It is scalable with little centralized control.

Comment on the importance of convergence in today's networked world.

The importance of convergence in today's networked world cannot be overstated.

From Wikipedia: " Convergence, simply put, is how individual consumers interact with others on a social level and use various media platforms to create new experiences, new forms of media and content that connect us socially, and not just to other consumers, but to the corporate producers of media in ways that have not been as readily accessible in the past."

Wikipedia has a very informative page on the topic.
As more people use different devices to send and receive information convergence will become key to having the message heard.
Convergence also allows the consumer to interact with the message, to personalize it. It empowers the user create his own content.


How can blogs be used for collaboration?

Collaborative blogs are becoming more and more popular. Mutiple users are able to combine time and resources and this in turn helps attract larger audiences. Audiences benefit from the collaboration with more timely and frequent updates and a greater pool of information found on the blog. Huffington Post and Pajamas Media are two of some of the more popular examples of a collaborative blog.
Businesses also use this type of blog, Walmart uses blogs to receive feedback from customers about products.
Collaboration in the blogosphere is another example of convergence, and will probably continue to increase in popularity.