With the various outlets of expression and communication in today’s society, media convergence allows for easier access to information from millions of miles away. It is also easier to network with individuals from all across the world and receive updates on the latest news in a matter of seconds. Blogs and wikis are examples of media that allows for people from all over the world to meet at one place (or site) to exchange or share information regarding a specific subject.
For instance, in the reading “Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to Drug Raid” by Michael Wilson, it turns out that individuals who were strangers to one another, met through the blogging site, BayRidgeTalk.com and eventually came together to exchange information and brought details of the drug activities to the authorities and helped put away the drug dealers. The reading was an example of a situation that proved exactly how powerful a tool blogging sites are--it really demonstrates the blog’s ability to bring people together and to make a difference [in this case] to the community in Brooklyn. In another reading, “How can we measure the influence of the blogosphere?” by Kathy E. Gill, the author points out that blogging is a form of journalism and therefore, “provides many viewpoints on shared experiences . . . that have changed the face of both mass communication and social networks.” Therefore, both reading exemplifies the degree of importance blogging has lead to facilitating growth in both social and physical communities.
On a different note, I have seen wikis used for almost everything--operation manuals, checklists, event planning, client work, tracking invoices, goals, etc. it is difficult to think of a new use for wikis that has not already been done yet since wikis are a great tool for collaboration and the use of sharing and updating of information.
