Here's how u roll with wikis. We liked Erika's format so we'll be copying her.

What is a wiki?

Wikipedia is the most famous wiki. Here is their definition of 'wiki'. Another notable example of a wiki is here.

Examples

• http://www.libsuccess.org This is a library best practices wiki.
• http://www.world66.com/ and http://wikitravel.org Two wikis for travel information.
• http://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/bizwiki/index.php/Main_Page This is a wiki for a resource guide, in this case business information resources.

Platforms, or, wiki farms

A "wiki farm" is a server or a collection of servers that provides wiki hosting, or a group of wikis hosted on such servers.

Wikis can be free or paid for. An article in Wikipedia compares Wiki Farms: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_wiki_farms

• pbwiki
• Wikispaces
• MediaWiki

Advantages

• Customize as much or as little
• Easy to learn and edit
• Can be updated by anyone & everyone from anywhere with an Internet connection
• Provides a central repository for group-edited documents
• Can easily revert back to previous versions
• Access to editing permissions can be limited to registered users
• Findability
• Many free wikis available

Disadvantages

• Vandalism (or inadvertant mistakes) - manageable but requires oversight
• Can be disorganized
• Concerns about ownership
• Not all wiki editing is intuitive

Wikis versus Blogs

• Here's one opinion: Stewart Mader on Wiki vs Blog. The core of his argument is "...blogs are a better communication tool when you want to get information out to people, and want to enable feedback, but keep the original text intact. Wikis are better when you want information to be touched - and enhanced - by as many hands as possible."

Applications

• Curatorial departments can share links & resources
• Some institutions are using wikis as an intranet
• A Reference wiki could include:
  • Subject guides
  • Pathfinders and tutorials
  • Info for staff: policies, etc.
  • Anything we need to keep track of in a more static (but edit-friendly) format
  • Example: University of Huddersfield, UK
• Lots of personal applications too. After 5 pm, please. A book club example!
• Let's edit a Wikipedia article
• Let's create a wiki on Wetpaint and take a page from the Libraries' Manual

Some good reading

• A New Yorker article from July 31, 2006: Know it all : can Wikipedia conquer expertise?
• This article is two years old, but still descriptive of Wiki features: Wide Open Spaces: Wikis,Ready or Not
• Discusses using wikis to communicate with patrons: Using Wikis to Create Online Communities
• Some considerations before you start: So You Want to Build a Wiki?

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