Wikis

This past week's assignment was for creating a wiki and adding content to it. It was also suggested to add content to the class wiki. I added a photo and a brief description to the page that asked for participants to tell what state we are representing. It was definitely easy to do. I have only begun to get my wiki established. Other than the home page describing what it is about, I added a couple of pages, but have yet to add more content to it.

Questions for this assignment: What is the difference between a blog and a wiki? And what sort of things might be better suited for a blog vs a wiki?

I have noticed with blogs the author(s) can write on anything of choice. It does not have to stay focused. Blogs are very much like journals or diaries. Participation by the reader(s) are in the format of comments made briefly in a few sentences. And since blogs are more journal-like, they tend to be the opinion of the author.

On the other hand, wikis are created focusing on a specific subject. They are more community oriented, allowing readers to contribute more authoritative material. Wikis tend to be more informative and academically oriented. I would find wikis better suited for community based and useful information.

If I would try to relate these media forms in a library setting I would probably use a blog to set opinions and facts about what is happening in the library. It's probably a good place to post the latest editions that have arrived in book format. It's also a good place to let the library community know if one has added new journal titles, new electronic subscriptions, or even notifying readers of any subscription cancellations.

Meanwhile, I would find a wiki to be useful in giving content that would be more stable, such as a list of the current journals the library subscribes to, and post links to the various electronic books and journals. This is also a place where one can place the link for the OPAC, and give instructions on how to use it. A wiki may also be the place to post policies and procedures of one's library. Other uses for a wiki can be instructions for doing a search in PubMed, or other databases the library subscribes to.