Blog vs. Wikis

A Blog is considered to be a personal or corporate online diary on a web site in the form of an online journal. The entries are typically authored by one person and appear in the order that they are written.

A Wiki is a collaborative website that has many authors and allows anyone with access to edit, modify or delete the content that has been placed on the web site.

The major differences between the two are the amount of authors contributing content therefore the sum and scope of knowledge available. With a wiki since there are numerous authors the content is constantly being updated and changing whereas on a blog with single authorship it advances at a slower pace usually one blog at a time. In a Blog discussions are viewed as comments in a post whereas with certain wikis they can be held in a discussion forum.

Who do we distinguish new media from old media?

What is meant by old media?

Old media are forms of communication where information is dispersed by means of analog or cable television, cinema, radio, newspaper, magazine or book and dispersed selectively to the public only after being approved by a source that has the right to edit the content. A response could only be transmitted after a time lapse and at the judgment and editing by whosoever is the owner of the means of that particular form. This would cause its content to be directly influenced by those whose agenda it served for political or monetary purposes within a given geographical area. The timing of release could also be controlled and would therefore further enable the manipulation of the content of a message that would have the possibility of changing the outcome of events where public opinion and outcry may influence a change in laws or public policy in a society.

When this is compared to a new media form it is slow and confined. It is a notable control of public opinion and individual thought where the expression of information is supposedly guaranteed by the first amendment of the US Constitution. It should be noted that although total censorship is damaging to our system I believe in the necessity for the safeguards of a policing entity to filter content harmful to minors and malicious security content with old and new media forums.

What is New Media?

New Media can be viewed as a complete opposite to these older methods. With the ability of individuals to post and broadcast their personal thoughts online via venues such as blogs, social communities and wikis, direct and cheaply on the internet, information and individual opinion is no longer controlled by those who previously held sway because of monetary dominance or political influence.

The best way to illustrate the differences is to list them comparing their benefits or shortcomings so that the change from old to new media is understood how these changes affect us.

	Form	Description	Pros vs Cons
1a	Old	Analog/Cable Television	Subject to network approval, Forced advertising, Limited to geographical signal
1b	New	Internet	Limited control on subject matter, Forced programming, Limited advertising, Unlimited by location
		Tivo	Controlled advertising, Program control
		On Demand Television	Program control
		YouTube, Etc.	Whatever you can find
2a	Old	Radio	Analog signal, subject to station programming, location limitation
2b	New	Sirius, XM Radio	Digital signal, subject to station programming, satellite transmission
		YouTube, Etc.	Whatever you can find
3a	Old	Cinema	Geographical release, theatre cost, public viewing
3b	New	Online movies	At will viewing, low cost, private viewing
		DVD	At will viewing, low cost, private viewing
		YouTube, Etc.	Whatever you can find
4a	Old	Music: Vinyl, CD, Stereo	Equipment cost, media cost
4b	New	Music: Itunes, Rhapsody, YouTube	Whatever you can find you can own at little or no cost and alter
5a	Old	Newspaper, Magazine, Books	Paper media subject to deterioration, editorial control, nice to own something tangible
5b	New	Wikis, Blogs, Kindle, Online resources	Eternal data, individual opinion and editorial control, subject to equipment failure

What is new Media?

From the dawn of mankind humans have sought ways to convey their thoughts through methods of communication first by the physical mimicking of desired actions and grunts to drawings and symbolisms of characters representing an idea to be relayed. With a jump to be one of the greatest achievements of humankind as the written word and the creation of the printing press, it then became possible to expose a solitary idea to mass amounts of people separated by geographical areas but still constrained by the time it would take to be transported and translated into a culture’s language. The catalyst that made the mass dispersion of thought was the technological advancements made at each particular period in history. This ability to share knowledge acted as a springboard of human mental growth at an exponential rate.

Moving to what would seem to be light years into the future from the hand written duplication of codex we are now in what can be termed as the digital age. This is a time when paper is now becoming a thing of the past. It is considered to be unconscionably negligent not to be eco-friendly to regard trees as a precious commodity towards the preservation of our planet by not using paper in the advent of our digital technology where the use of paper can be substituted for methods of digital media, since it is a more efficient and convenient way to do so.

With the advent of computing prowess we now have new methods of media such as email, online communities, blogs and wikis all fostered by the backbone of the internet to espouse a message or idea which can be transmitted, received and broadcasted to a myriad of people instantly by the touch of a button to those who are proponents or opponents of ideas to individuals that may we never meet face to face but can be connected in cyber-space. This in itself creates its own dilemma as one should wonder that although we have become more connected as never before, will this cause us to become more distant in our human relations and callous in relation.

As I walk down the street, I see people texting, oblivious to their surroundings, we carry our communication devices on our hips with no need to travel meet or speak in person, have the ability to work from our from our homes (telecommute) and no longer need to go outside and engage or view physical activity as it can be beamed to our homes or reenacted with the movement our thumbs and possibly in the near future with only a thought of our minds. We have the ability to be whoever we choose or pretend to be (doppelganger) if we are bored or just want to live vicariously by another’s identity or create one for a time. These forms of new media or communication may remove us from the real world we physically live in (the matrix) but have also become the major utility in our lives that we now revolve around. I cannot fathom being without my cell phone or not checking my email for information that may change my life at a moment’s notice. For those that remember a beeper and street land line phone that was enough to facilitated this. They are there but uses such outdated things?, those days are over, I can be contacted and reach out to anyone on the spot, wherever they or I may be. I no longer have to go to a library as information can be accessed or relayed by a wiki or other resource site. If I see a problem I can photograph and report it, anonymously and stand firm with others in my community via blog (as cited by the blog of the residence in a Bay Ridge, Brooklyn blog reading) while it happens.

The ability to create and tap into this level of information makes us the children of a new age and new world inclusive with its form of new media with all of its enhancements and trappings. Those who do not keep up with its changes become swiftly, without choice left behind. We choose to study and advance with this technology to better our lives and have now grown dependant on it. Although I may not want to be contacted at times I cannot fathom not being without my cell phone. I believe that our new media is our statement to the growth of mankind and that we are the better for it.