NET11 Topic 2.2: Wikis

Wikis are a fantastic collaborative tool.  Essentially a database-driven series of webpages that are hypertextually linked, each page can be edited by anyone with permission.  Open wikis such as the massive online encyclopedia Wikipedia.org  allow anyone to edit and save content to any page.  In this way the knowledge of everyone who uses it can become available to everyone.  Users can correct mistakes in others' information.  Business is increasingly harnessing the power of wikis for collaborative projects.  Unlike email, which spreads information across each user's inbox, the wiki can be edited by all, and viewed by all at the same time.  Changes can be logged and accessed to see where addition and subtractions have been made.  Links which create new pages allow the wiki to grow organically, as users see fit.  Links to existing pages allow paths to be followed to related information.

Activity 1.
We were instructed to read through the Wikipedia editing tutorial and practice writing and formatting in the 'sandbox'. By a short description you can log the change you made, which records either your username or your IP address.  Each page of content has a corresponding permanent record of all the changes that has been made to that page.  There is also a discussion page 'behind' each page of content where editor can discuss potential or existing changes to the content.

Activity 2.
Go to Wikipedia and locate a topic that you know something about.  Find something that you believe is missing from the article or that you think should be changed.
Make the change and/or addition. (Don't forget to log the change you have made)
Return to the page later in the week to see how the community has responded to your input.

I made a small addition to the page about kitesurfing.  Changes were logged here. 


READINGS

danah boyd's article 'Wikipedia, academia and Seigenthaler' on the group blog Many 2 Many highlights an argument that was raging in 2005 between academics and 'pro-Wikipedians'; academics believed it was full of mistakes and a blight on our schools, whilst those on the other side of the fence believed it to be 'the essential collection of knowledge, meant to replace school books and other refereed knowledge containers'.  boyd points out Jimmy Wales' point that Wikipedia was originally created (and remains) an encyclopedia.  boyd states 'it should be the first source of information, not the last'.