Tutorial Blog 3: Learning about Wiki's

In 1995 the first Wiki page was placed on the internet under the name WikiWikiWeb created by Ward Cunningham. From then on Wiki pages have flourished in the age of information. Corporations inserted them into their work environments for intranets and collaborated projects. Educational institutions use Wikis to enhance student's education.

What is a Wiki?

A Wiki is a piece of server software or a website that allows the creation and editing of a number of different intertwined pages.

(This video created by www.commoncraft.com)

A Wiki has to follow three guidelines according to Ward Cunningham:

• a Wiki allows any user to edit a page or to create a new page within the Wiki.
• a Wiki promotes meaningful topics associated by using links that a user will instantly recognize.
• a Wiki isn't created for a causal user. Its goal is to promote the visitor of the site to its never ending process of creation and collaboration that changes its site's landscape.

A Wiki provides far more superior, faster, relevant information than any search engine can provide. While not always accurate, it is a great stepping stone in any information hunt. I have often used sites like Wikipedia.org to help me in my hunt to find information for essays, projects, or blogs. 

Wikipedia allows many editing options and abilities. It even allow you to view the history of the page

Creating a Wiki

I would like to point anybody to this website first on "How to Start a Wiki." There are a few sites that support the making of a Wiki page. Popular sites include Wikispaces, Google Docs, PBWiki, PikiWiki, and Wetpaint. Google Docs isn't an entirely dedicated Wiki site, but allows many of the same options that a user would find on other Wiki sites.

Criticism of a Wiki

Since Wikis allow any user to edit a page, sometimes the editor isn't editing that page for your betterment. Vandalism often happens and has been a problem on sites like Wikipedia.org, the most famous Wiki on the internet. These acts will often go unnoticed for a period of time. Many educational instructors find that Wiki sites are not creditable for these same reasons. Unfortunately, vandals will even put malware in links found on the Wiki page.

Comedian Stephen Colbert even had his audience exploit Wikipedia.org. He asked his audience to edit a page related to elephants to include, "Elephant population in Africa has tripled over the past six months." Even though this information was false, the flaw is that if enough users agree, the wiki has no choice but to accept the idea.

Closing Thoughts

 

Whether working on a business project, performing research, or for catching up on your favorite band's history, Wiki's are a valuable source. Even with the flaws of a Wiki, nobody can deny their usefulness. These days, should we really trust what we read on the internet?

Sources:
http://wiki.org/wiki.cgi?WhatIsWiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_impact_of_The_Colbert_Report
http://conovermedia.blogspot.com/2006/03/campaign-against-wikipedia.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7004.pdf
http://www.surfnetkids.com/how_to_create_a_wiki.htm
Picture taken by using Jing software on Wikipedia.org
Video found on http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english