Blogs vs. Wikis

There are several similarities and differences between Blogs and Wikis. To begin I would like to discuss the differences. First off, Blogs and Wikis are operated by different companies with slightly different corporate strategies. Also the primary intentions for each are different; Blogs are a platform for personal expression while Wikis are intended to show unbiased facts and figures. Thus the difference is that Blogs are subjective while Wikis should be objective. The reality is since both are written by humans there will always be some bias. The difference also is that the content on Wikis can be edited and changed by everyone, while Blogs are changed/edited only by the author and the only feedback readers have is to post some comments. It of course requires a "leap of faith", as the New York Times article points out.

The similarities of Blogs and Wikis are that they are both intended to spread information around the world. Their mission is to share information; and whether it is personal or formal information, it still needs to be shared for it to be meaningful.

Convergence in today's networked world is the notion that ideas and opinions are becoming more mainstream as information is shared quickly. Moreover, single individuals can change the future by providing information to unlimited numbers of people. Information is also becoming more accessible to the public and as a result more people are involved in the creation of information. Wikis can be used for collaboration since it allows other people to not only change the content, but to also alter data more quickly. Blogs can also be used to collaborate as they allow people to comment on other peoples ideas, which in essence creates dialogue and exchange of ideas.

If I were to think of a new use for a wiki, it would be to allow creative expression to also be exposed to the public and thus allow the public to collaborate with authors. Wikis should allow for photography and creative writing to be published so that people can learn from each other and share ideas. The problem is that people are too protective of their work nowadays. No one wants to share.

Old vs. New

There are several ways to distinguish between old media and new media. The easiest way is just to know the difference between old media and new media. Old media is the more traditional form of media which has been historically successful until New Media emerged and changed how people consume information. New Media would include eBooks, Blogs, Pandora, ezines, podcasts, VOIP, YouTube, and Flickr. In contrast Old Media would have included Books, Journalism, Magazines, Newspapers, Radio, TV, landline phone, Film and Photography.

The best way to distinguish is that New Media uses digital technology such as the Internet, new innovative electronic products such as e-readers, and faster communication networks around the world. The more traditional media, or old media, uses more old-fashioned technologies. For this reason the audience for these two different medias can also vary. The old media attracts people who group up with such technology, such as the baby-boomers. New media is intended for the younger generation who is more tech-savvy.

Description of Research Paper

In my research paper I want to discuss the negative and the positive affects of social media on crime. More specifically how do such social websites such as Facebook and Myspace instigate crime and on the flip side, helps to prevent it. I want to discuss recent crimes, which appeared in the news, that were prevented through the use of Facebook. Also, I want to discuss how social media gives the platform for people, such as the school bullies, to harass the weaker people by means of such things as spreading rumors or targeting the person directly. I want to look at what the government is doing to stop the harassment of people on social media and what the companies running these websites are doing. I also want to make a small prediction about the future of crime prevention and how social media will affect it.

What is New Media?

The purpose of this entry is to define what New Media is. Although to me, it is strange to call something “new” and “old” when it is all relative to the time and person viewing it. When I look at media I just look at it as a consistent flow of communication between the author and the consumer of media. There are changes however, as “seamless” as this evolution seems, which triggered vast advances in the technologies supporting mass media.

Firstly, the Internet has undoubtedly changed how the masses consume media. That cannot be denied. The year before the Internet was developed and the year after Internet was developed seem like totally different eras, even centuries. People began communicating in time that they could not even imagine and were staying connected with practically everyone in the world- from family to co-workers, the latter of both which some people now regret. Seconfly, New Media became more interactive and personal. It became even more democratic with the development of Web 2.0, which made New Media a “do-it-yourself” media, as the Web 2.0 YouTube video explains.

The new technologies, which support this open and equal communication between the creator and the receiver, include blogs, wikis, Flickr, and websites such as Facebook, Technorati and Google Maps. These advances changed the Internet from a “static website”, to a more customizable and collaborative platform for mass communication, where everyone has a voice, no matter how insignificant their real life is in the grand spectrum of the world. For the first time, oppressed people in the Middle East could post YouTube videos of governmental violence against citizens, which shocked the whole world and called for change. There is more transparency now. More responsibility for one’s actions and statements. All you have to do is “ youtube it”, and it already has a voice. It gave people more freedom to fight back for injustices done to them. It decentralized the power to communicate and thus the power to influence.

As the previously mentioned video, in Web 1.0 you, as the creator, choose your content while in Web 2.0 your content is created by the people and only influenced by you. The Internet made communication faster and thus more current and meaningful, which allows for people to experience life together and more simultaneously. No matter what the future will bring in terms of technology “the lid is blowing off”, as Clive Thompson writes in his Wired article, and media can be transformed into anything people desire it to be. New Media is succeeding because it is more interactive and it lets people influence what they consume in terms of information. You have a question? Go to Yahoo!Answers. Old media is not going to cease to exist because people still crave knowledge and entertainment. It will just blend into a more balanced form of media that people want to consume. Where you people can read what they like and post their reactions. People are in charge now. Finally.

My First Steps

Hello Blog-readers

This is the first time I'm writing a blog. I am not really sure what to write about, but I'm sure I'll find a calling through my New Media class at Baruch College. For now I'll write more of the formal greetings: My name is Natalia and I'm 22 years old. I am graduating college in May with an International Marketing major. For now, I am only focused on about three things 1) getting in shape since this is my last semester of free gym at Baruch College 2) getting my driver's license so that way I can avoid being humiliated when my baby cousin picks me up from the train station when I come visit her in Connecticut 3) getting job...Task # 3 being the last one on my list since it is less by choice or a sense of a purpose, but instead I'm just trying to fulfill social norms of being a college graduate...if I had it my way i would travel to 100 countries in 200 days!

Anyway, welcome to my so far purposeless blog...I will let you know when I find a purpose!

Good night!

Natalia

PS. I experimented with cool pastel and bright colors, but I felt I won't be taken very seriously with a bright turquoise blog...I will change the boring black color by Blog # 3 or 4...we will see!