Most people today use the terms blogs and wikis synonymously. I am probably guilty of using “…like blogs and wikis…” in the context of a discussion. I would venture to say most enterprise users do not understand the difference between a blog and a wiki. I think its important to outline the significant distinctions between the two…
- Blogs are a one-to-many tool to publish digital information & content. Most blogs are based on a theme or topic and can either be publication vehicles or forums for interaction (not necessarily collaboration). Blogs serve many purposes from corporate marketing to information sharing to communication tools for employers. For example, Honeywell uses blogs in their recruiting efforts. Although blogs can be private, most blogs today are published in the public domain.
- Wikis are a many-to-many collaborative tool. Most wikis are used for internal purposes such as mass collaboration authoring. Some communities or groups use wikis as form of document sharing, collaboration or knowledge management system.
Although blog growth seems to be slowing, the use of wikis, especially within enterprises, is growing at a steady pace as companies realize the true value of real-time, continuous collaboration.
