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What is the Difference Between a Blog and a Wiki?

April 7th, 2008  

Author: Kathy Murray

Hi,

I’m on to week 2 of the MLA class — and we’re supposed to figure out the above questions.  So, I went surfing and found these pros/cons:

Blog pros:

  • Easy to post information
  • Chronological order
  • Automatic RSS feed
  • Comments can be attached to each post
  • Only blog authors can edit the content of a post
  • (mine): there is an archive and discussion can be limited to specific groups

Con – blogers blog, non-bloggers don’t.  It has been my experience with the PNC blog that few folks post … I’m also guessing that we’re so used to the hlib listserv, the transition to the blog just hasn’t happened.

Wiki:

  • aim is creation of documents (individual pages as well as the entire wikiweb)
  • Anyone anywhere can contribute
  • True equalized collaboration (when accounts aren’t required)
  • Can create any order/flow to the information (sometimes chronological order doesn’t work well for the type of content)

Cons:

  • good comments can be edited maliciously, where to put stuff, passwords needed to edit.

So, is anyone using both for work purposes?  I know we’re making noises here about a wiki for some internal course collaboration.

Cheers.

 

8 responses to “What is the Difference Between a Blog and a Wiki?”

  1. Gail Kouame April 8th, 2008 at 05:08

    Hi Kathy-

    We use a blog as our office newsletter – the Dragonfly – and a wiki for our intranet. Have fun with the MLA course!

    Gail K.

  2. Heidi Sue Adams April 8th, 2008 at 06:42

    Hi Kathy,

    My first experience writing an article with a co-author was using the “Peanut Butter Wiki” (pbwiki) – and that was also my first time ever using a wiki. I thought it was pretty slick that we could work on an article together, although we were physically located more than 2500 miles apart. For folks not familar with a wiki, I relate it to a Word document that both parties have access to and can make changes to; only the wiki was an online website (didn’t have to transfer a file) and it kept track of changes and notified the other writers when changes were made, as well as keeping track of what the changes were. It was a very positive experience for me, once I figured out how to navigate on the wiki site to get to the document in process. I don’t believe wiki sites are intuitive, at least the few I’ve seen. (They look the same if you’re logged in or just a visitor, and that was frustrating to me.)

    I keep them straight by thinking “the blog is useful if you want to submit information without having it be changed. The wiki is useful if you want the information changed, or if it’s a working (constantly changing) document.”

  3. Peggy Baldwin April 8th, 2008 at 07:00

    You can set a wiki so that only certain people can contribute. They have to be invited in, so I don’t quite agree with the statement that anyone can edit a wiki. The major differences I noted when I did week 2 was that blogs are arranged in chronological order and archival. Wikis have some more flexibility in terms of how they are arranged. They are a bit more like static web pages. In the MLA class they gave a link to a university business wiki that I think is a good example of a wiki that, and anyone can go to it but only the library staff contributes — http://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/bizwiki/index.php/Main_Page.

  4. Peggy Baldwin April 8th, 2008 at 07:02

    As far as the PNC Blog goes, I’ve never been clear about what it’s for, I think. It’s supposed to replace HLIB? I thought of it more as a newsletter replacement, which would not have all of the goings on HLIB in it. Also, the password entry is a barrier. To send something on HLIB is easier

  5. Michele Spatz April 8th, 2008 at 07:28

    I have to agree with Peggy – I’m still not clear on the purpose of the PNC Blog. I have had trouble accessing it in the past. And I agree with Kathy when she says most of us are used to the listserv and so the transition has been slow. I love technology (what librarian doesn’t?) but it has to be meaningful, easy (as in smooth transition) and compelling (must use) before I’m going to adapt it. The class sounds terrific – I hope they will offer it again!

  6. Kathy Fatkin April 8th, 2008 at 08:52

    Hi Kathy,
    The IHIA has a blog function on our web site http://ihia.lili.org/ . I use it as president, just so there is something new every so often on the site. No one in our small group has added to it. Again, we find emailing to each other fast and effective, so why blog?
    Kathy Fatkin – Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center – Idaho Falls

  7. Kathy Murray April 8th, 2008 at 10:15

    Hi,
    Love the comments we’re getting. I have to say that the password has been a barrier for lots of folks. However, the reason for having one is to make sure only PNC members can access and post on the blog. I’d encourage folks to make their password something easy … and one they use with their login ID. No one but you can access it, so make is something you’ll have less trouble remembering.

    And yes, one of the reasons we created the blog was to replace the newsletter. The reason the newsletter went away is that no one contributed … so I’m not surprised that we’re not getting folks sharing on the blog. Still, I’m hoping when an issue arises for the group, we’ll use the blog so folks can track and follow the discussion.

  8. Janet Crum April 18th, 2008 at 13:30

    Re: blogs and wikis, we are redesigning our library staff page in WordPress, so that all the tidbits of current information currently emailed to everyone will have a more permanent home. The page also includes links to various things, but the blog format will allow greater emphasis on current info. We’ve used a wiki for a couple of years now for procedures and other intranet-type stuff. The two technologies serve different purposes.

    Re: the PNC blog: IMHO it won’t be relevant as long as people need a password to view the content. It seems reasonable to restrict posting to members, but burying the entire thing behind a password removes it from the larger blogosphere. Blogs are supposed to facilitate conversation as well as provide information, and the password limits exposure too much.

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