Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
A participatory mode of informing and commu-
nicating using the web has evolved - users not
only read what is on the web but are also given
a chance to be co-creators of web information. It
might therefore be said that the focus of the web
is changing, from an informing to a conversational
platform. Some of the particular web-based tools
that enable this to occur are blogs, wikis and social
categorisation sites. We will now investigate these
particular tools.
Weblogs are a more recent online commu-
nication tool and are defined as much by the
way the tool is used as by the technology itself.
Weblog entries are characterised by natural and
spontaneous voice, frequent updates and a lack of
formality; entries are made in the web-based log
in chronological order. Weblog technology is a
simple browser-based authoring tool that removes
any technical barrier to participation.
A weblog is, traditionally, a “log” on the web - a
diary-style site in which the author - a weblogger,
or “blogger”- links to other web pages he/she finds
interesting. It is traditional for old entries to fall to
the bottom as newer ones are added. Comments
on each weblog posting provide the collaborative
aspect of this tool.
A wiki is a web page/site that can be viewed
and changed by visitors to the site using only their
browser technology. 'A wiki, from the Hawaiian
term for “quick”, is an ongoing, ever-evolving,
organised compilation of information' (Lee, 2006).
A site maintains a history of all the changes made
to it, and an older version can be restored if need
be. The community of interest surrounding a
wiki tends to keep the content of a site valid and
respectable.
Wikis differ from weblogs in that:
•
changes to content take place organically -
it is open to editing and evolution
there is an element of trust in wiki use -
•
while abuse is quite possible, the value
and use of wikis is created by a watchful
collective.
It is important to note that the use of wikis is
different to traditional publishing, for example
Wikipedia is a successful knowledge sharing
phenomena but is not an authoritative traditional
encyclopaedia and should not be viewed as such.
The uses of wikis continue to emerge, but they
clearly offer a collaborative potential and a new
way of constructing and sharing knowledge re-
positories on the web.
Social tagging (also called social bookmarking)
sites have an initial role in the organisation of web-
based information and resources for an individual
- they provide a tool for personal management of
resources and knowledge. Because of their empha-
sis on openness (users names are public and any user
can view the information organisation of another)
they are an excellent tool for sharing resources.
Likeminded people or communities of interest will
collect resources that can be easily accessed by
others. With a significant number of users focusing
on a sphere of interest, a pattern will emerge - a
folksonomy. This becomes a means of discovering
new information using the organisation systems of
others whose interests are similar. Resources can
be discovered by tags or by individuals.
Key features of social tagging include the
following:
•
special web software/sites exist that enable
a specific web resource, identified by its
URL, to be tagged or labelled by the per-
son who values it
individual tagging of resources. The user
•
they have a collective rather than an indi-
vidual voice
they are structured by topic rather than
•
•
of the resource assigns a keyword(s) to
the resource in order to create categories
chronologically
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