The wild world of wikis, Weblogs, podcasts and RSS

We know from countless reader surveys that IT executives get their technology information from a variety of sources - high-tech print publications and their Web sites, vendor Web sites, trade shows, analyst firms and peers.

But what about these sources of information that seem to have exploded onto the scene - blogs, wikis, RSS feeds and podcasts? Where do they fit into the busy day of an IT executive suffering from information overload? And how reliable is the information? Here's a guide:

Wiki keys

Wiki (pronounced wee-kee) refers to the collaborative software that allows users to easily create and edit Web page content. Wiki (Hawaiian for quick) also refers to the resulting Web sites. The original wiki is Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia to which anybody can contribute, but the software has spawned countless wiki farms containing links to every imaginable topic.

Click to see: Subdued wiki writer feels public dismay about accuracy

• Pros: If you want the definition of a term, or a quick explainer on a particular technology, Wikipedia is great.
• Cons: The information in a wiki is entered anonymously, and the only check on the accuracy of wiki entries is other anonymous wiki writers with their own agendas and biases.

"The downside of wikis is that anyone can alter them," warns Rich Diaz, manager of the University of Maryland's digital imaging group in College Park. In fact, Wikipedia tightened its submission rules last week in response to complaints about inaccuracies.

The blog of war

Blogs can be lively, opinionated, link-filled sites that encourage interactive dialogue between individuals about a variety of topics.

• Pros: IT executives say blogs can be a good source of technical information and a good way to get feedback about a particular product that you might want to buy, or a specific tech issue or question with which you're wrestling.
• Cons: Blogs can be written by disgruntled former employees or people with axes to grind. When evaluating information in a blog, consider the source.

Blogs have other limits. "I do read a lot of blogs, but I just can't find reliable information on technology-management issues," says Mayur Raichura, managing director of information services at Long & Foster Real Estate in Fairfax, Va.

He finds blogs useful, however, when they answer a specific technology question. Recently, Raichura and staff read several blogs to decide whether to pursue smart drop-downs to allow Web site visitors to access information on the company's databases. "There was a nice mixed bag of opinions - some good and some bad. We read these and decided that the technology overall is good but that it is not mature enough for a large set of users," he says.