Blog vs. Wiki

Blogs and Wikis have some similarities but mostly have stark differences. For one Blogs can be created by one person in order to communicate with the world. People may comment on a blog post but they can not edit the post or contribute to the post. Wikis are very different in the sense that many different people can contribute to one post or one thread, thus adding to the content of the topic.

In the article Wikipedia: No longer the Wild West? by John D. Sutter points out the philosophy of wikis that "users can control the content of the Web" and contribute to the site. The problem with this is that it can lead to inaccurate information being contributed to the content, like was the case with Wikipedia the "user-written"online encyclopedia. Thus leading to regulation of its user contributed information. With blogs people usually are free to post what they want without regulation and people free to comment.

Convergence is important to networking because it allows many different elements of new media to be integrated into one. Making its access more convenient and more worth while. Giving access to different sources at once cuts out the middle man and gives you more options at your finger tips at once.

Blogs can be used for collaboration also because it gives you a voice, and lets others know where you stand on certain issues. Online users can collaborate with each other on different ideas and topics. The fact that people can comment on your posts can allow you to see other perspectives and invite the opinions of others. Which is essentially like working in a group towards a common goal.

I think they should make a wiki slang dictionary. Since people usually make up slang terms any way that are not normally apart of the official English language, it would be good to archive these slang terms, which im sure would serve useful to some people out there. Anyone could contribute content because everyone has different slang terms for different things, and since slang is so popular among networking sites I think it would be a good idea.

Old vs. New

Well new media has the 5 C's communication, collaboration, community, creativity and convergence. These characteristics are a way to distinguish the new from the old. Old media usually does not posses these characteristics. I would describe old media as the older version of what is considered new media today. For example books are a form of old media...but they have been transformed into new media by making them modern, and more appealing to today's consumer by the way of ebooks. Another way to distinguish the new from the old is the use of the Internet. Most new media can be accessed fast and online. Sources of old media are usually slower and less convenient like lets say music on records or cd's. It is very rare that you find someone still using a walk man cd player as opposed to an Ipod which is a form of new media, but is simply an updated way of hearing music. In order to use the ipod you need the Internet, and to use a cd walk man you don't. I believe new media is fueled by convenience and extravagance, as opposed to old media which was the old way of doing things but have been improved by the forms of new media.

Project description

Tittle: The pros and cons of social networking sites...and why they become so addictive.

I want to analyse certain aspects of the social networking sites Myspace, Facebook and form-spring. me, by breaking down the pros and the cons. In order to further analyse the reasons why so many people are so obsessed with these sites and why they have become so popular . I intend to use not only research but also real experiences. Most people in this day and age use these sites religiously, and I intend to explore why people like using these sites so much, and how the popularity of the sites affect the future of social networking.

What is new media?

New media is the use of all the new technologies that have been created or popularized in the 20Th century. This includes use of the Internet, cell phones, or smart phones, network communication among many other things.

What kinds of technologies are part of the new media?

New media is the amalgamation of different types of technologies, the Internet and its use of Internet advertising, the cellphone and smart phones, the I Pods and all the other portable devices that connect you with the rest of the world. All these technologies help get information to your fingertips fast and efficiently...which is why so many forms of "old media" have been put on the back burner in favor of whats new and popular.

How important is the Internet to the new media?

The Internet is very important to new media, because many forms of new media has transgressed through the Internet. So many people in this day and age are caught up with the Internet, that its a way to target a large number of people at once. Most advertising has been focused on the Internet. Most people have access to the Internet, it is very accessible making it important to new media.

Why and how are the new media replacing and / or enhancing the old media?

New media is replacing old media because of the need for speed and efficiency. The way things used to work could be seen as inconvenient or even outdated. New media has become convenient in many ways, for example you could take a trip to the book store, buy a book and read it, or you could simply go to the many sites that offer you a online copy of the book free which saves time and money at the click of a few buttons. There are hundreds of reasons why new media is replacing the old, another reason being the "paper free" theory. Many offices and companies have put all their files online to eliminate the need for storing hard copies. New media has replaced and enhanced old media in all kinds of ways. The article "Who Needs a TV? I’m Watching on a Laptop" by Laura M. Holson of the New York Times makes the point that new is taking over the old. Television is a form of old media, and the new craze is watching episodes online. Which i must admit i hardly ever watch television because I hate commercials and I can watch any show I want online free, and commercial free most of the time. This article says just that, the new methods are becoming preferred over the old, thus replacing them all together.