Blogs, Podcasts, and Wikis

How has  collaborative technologies change the way we work together?

There is no doubt technology has changed the way we work together drastically. Instead of being face to face with your group member(s) you can work together and get the job done without seeing each other face to face. Personally, I have taken courses in which I have NEVER seen my group members, but have gotten the job completed!
Blogs, Wikis, voice mail, chat forums etc. allows one to collaborate without being at the same place at the same time. There are many advantages with collaborative technologies such as:

• Saves Money- reduced travel cost
• Less stress- you can get the job done with time that suits you
• Project are completed faster- You no longer have to arrange a meeting or make phone calls to figure out what time a person is available, instead you can complete work at your own time and place
• Easy to keep track- online collaboration tools make it easier for group member to see the development of a project 

A great example is Prezi. Prezi allows one to create creative PowerPoint presentations and since it is online, any group member can add/change the presentation at any time. 

PGI has created technologies to help individuals connect and collaborate. The video shows the benefits of collaborative technologies. 

Collaborative Advantage 

Blogs:

Over the past few years blogs, podcasts, and wikis have  become extremely popular. There are many advantages and disadvantages associated with the three but first what is a blog, podcasts, and wiki?

A blog is a website created by one person or a group of people that is arranged in chronological order. The site you are viewing right now is a blog as well! Business blogging had many benefits and a few disadvantages. The advantages of business blogging are:

• It is cheap
• Easy publicity and easy to set up
• Fast feedback
• Builds a community- exists as social networking and content sharing

The disadvantages associated with business blogging are:

• Time consuming- cannot have huge gaps between posts so you have to keep on posting or lose you will lose viewers
• Private Information- A blog is visible to everyone so you have to be careful of what you put on for the public to see

                                                 

Podcasts: 

The word "Podcasts" is the combination of the word iPod and broadcast. It is an audio file that allows you to share information through computers or portable music devices. Business may use podcasts for many reason. A few benefits of creating a podcasts are:

• Allows you to share information-  can share your industry expertise. The audience enjoys listening to a individual who knows their stuff. 
• Create a strong connection- hearing a contributors voice gives the audience a stronger connection than written word 
• Can easily show enthusiasm and emotion- Can convey emotion and enthusiasm easily which is hard to show through written words
• Multi task - you can listen to people and do other tasks at the same time
• Easy and inexpensive- all you need is a microphone and a software program for editing

                                

Wiki: 

A wiki is a web page that can be viewed and edited by anyone who has access to the internet. It is a open-ended collaborative website with many advantages and disadvantages. Some benefits of wikis are:

• It is easy to set-up and use
• Free to set up
• Allows people to share their knowledge on a topic

Disadvantages of Wikis are:

• Anyone can edit, write, or delete which can cause conflict between users
• False information can be put on, giving people inaccurate information
• If not updated content can become out dated 

                                                 

Food For Thought:
What are your thoughts? Do you think blogs, podcasts and wikis are effective for businesses?

References:
http://www.webpronews.com/blogs-and-blogging-advantages-and-disadvantages-2004-08
http://scottpantall.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/business-communication-pt2-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-corporate-blogs/
http://socialmediatrader.com/what-are-the-benefits-of-podcasting/
Guffey, M.E., Lowey, D., Rhodes, K. and P. Rogin (2013). Business Communication: Process & Product. Fourth Brief Canadian Edition.         Toronto, Canada: Nelson Education.