The Web Explorer

Both blog and wiki offers similar features. They provides simple content management and easy web publication. End user can utilize those systems for free by use open source software or make an account to a free blog or wiki provider (wordpress, wikispaces, etc). Nevertheless, both systems also have fundamental differences that need to be considered when try to choose which system is fit for our needs.

Blog is a system that allows a single author (or group of authors) to write and publish article in time / chronological ordered. Discussions may occur between the reader and the author by adding comments to the article.

1. For educational purposes, blog can be used for:

2. Teachers who want to give announcements, news, and feedback to students.

3. A group of students use their individual blog to build a corpus of interrelated via post and comments.

Wiki is a system contains a collection of web pages that enables the user to contribute by add, edit, or delete some information in the articles. Discussion may occur by adding or modifying the articles. Users can follow process of discussion using change log.

For educational purposes, wiki can be used for:

1. The creation of annotated reading list by one or more teachers

2. Students can make a group projects that are suited to the incremental accretion of knowledge by a group or production of collaboratively edited material.

To make it easy to understand, I provide a comparison table about wiki and blog taken from http://wiki.wetpaint.com/page/Wiki+vs+Blog

I got this video when searching web 2.0 video content in you tube.  It show a a fictional debate between JFK and Richard Nixonabout the use of wiki vs blog. I think the content is good an may be useful to help us differentiate blog and wiki. Happy watching …

Google Knol (www.google.com/knol) has been around in the internet for one year (The beta version was launched on July, 23 2008). Google Knol is the acronym of ‘a unit of knowledge’. This is one of the latest products from Google. For you who familiar with Wikipedia, I don’t think it’s difficult to describe what is Google Knol . Yes …. Google Knol is another online ecyclopedia and it was intented to challenge the domination of Wikipedia. The presence of Google Knol is believed by many people will affect the hegemony of Wikipedia in online encyclopedia market. Therefore, I think it’s a good idea if we discuss some fundamental differences between Google Knol and Wikipedia.

Point 1: While Wikipedia only emphasis on articles and it’s references (reference or web link) that is used,  Google Knol also add emphasis on the author’s background. According to the Google representative, the inclusion of author’s name in the articles has direct relevance with the level of reader’s trust and content validity. The author who has reached the level of doctoral education will tend to be trusted rather than the (only) high school graduates.

Point 2: Each article in Knol can only be written by one author. One topic might have possibility to have multiple versions of the article, according to the number of the author. Therefore, it is important in the Knol to know who wrote a topic in the first time.

Point 3:  In Google Knol, the authors have the opportunity to get an income. Not like Wikipedia which is clean from ads, ads from Google adsense will be embedded to the Knol’s articles but this ad will appear only when being approved by the author.

Interesting isn’t it?  Currently, Google Knol is still in beta (trial), with thousand of articles. Many people expect that in the short of period, the Knol’s collection will expand fast and can reach the speed of its rival, Wikipedia that reaches one million entries in four years.