Wiki
A wiki is a collaborative website that allows users to write, edit, and contribute content, promoting a participatory and accessible online environment. Developed from the idea of web software for community creation, the first true wiki, WikiWikiWeb, was launched in 1995 by Ward Cunningham, who aimed to foster open discussion without strict authority. Users can add various forms of content, and most wikis include a feature that tracks changes, enabling easy corrections of errors. While wikis can be open to the public or restricted to select contributors, they vary widely in focus—some are dedicated to specific topics, while others, like Wikipedia, encompass a vast array of subjects.
Wikis serve diverse purposes, including educational projects where students collaborate on research and writing, and in business, where they facilitate communication and project management among employees. However, they do face challenges such as potential vandalism, conflicts among users, and concerns about the reliability of information due to the lack of authoritative oversight. Despite these drawbacks, wikis continue to thrive as dynamic platforms for knowledge sharing and collaboration, with millions of users engaging with them daily.
Subject Terms
Wiki
A wiki is a type of website that can be written and edited by its visitors. Wikis grow and thrive mainly through user contributions, so they encourage accessibility, participation, and collaboration. Users and contributors can add text, links, and many forms of media and may edit or remove prior information. Wikis usually have a special feature that creates a record of all changes, so changes made erroneously or improperly could be easily removed. Most wikis are easy to use, requiring little technical skill.
Wikis vary quite a bit. Some are open to the public, while others can be viewed or modified only by a select group. Some wikis are dedicated to specific topics, such as a particular country, field of science, or television show. Others, such as the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, attempt to gather information about as many topics as possible. Public perception of wikis also varies; many people consider them useful research tools, but others frown on their lack of authoritative information.
Development of Wikis
Wikis developed from the concept of Web software that could be created, used, and modified collaboratively. The creator of the first true wiki—and the coiner of the term—was programmer Ward Cunningham, who in 1995 released software called WikiWikiWeb. WikiWikiWeb was meant to be a discussion area for an open community of users, and Cunningham's own ground rules eschewed authority and humorously invited users to contribute original or "ripped off" content as well as jokes and dissenting opinions.
Cunningham chose the word wiki because it means "fast" in Hawaiian; he envisioned a program that users could access and edit very quickly. The word took on new meaning based on Cunningham's vision and soon became a popular computing term for a publicly modifiable website. The most famous application of the term was in the name Wikipedia, a massive online encyclopedia with millions of entries on a virtually unlimited number of topics.
Although Wikipedia adopted more stringent policies than had WikiWikiWeb, it carried on Cunningham's vision of a free, open, community-driven resource made of contributions. Due to its size, popularity, and accessibility, Wikipedia was subject to inaccurate edits and various kinds of pranks and vandalism, which prompted its organizers to use a backup system that recorded past edits so they could be restored if necessary.
Thousands of other, more specific wikis exist on a wide range of topics. Programs and websites also exist to help users create new wikis; these resources include PBworks (formerly PBwiki), Wikispaces, and Wetpaint. Millions of Web users visit, contribute to, or help to operate wikis every day. Their content might include simple text or a variety of embedded media including audio and video files, databases, scheduling features, and streaming data feeds.
Uses and Pros and Cons
Although many wikis are used for general reference or entertainment, teachers have begun to incorporate wiki creation into academic projects. Teachers and students alike may use wikis to collaborate on larger-scale projects, allowing each contributor to access, add to, and edit group information on the given topic or topics. Because the project is online, users may access it from classrooms, libraries, or any other place with an Internet connection at any time. An example of a wiki project might be a group writing task in which student contributors collaboratively add and edit information on a Web page and then assemble a bibliography of the sources they consulted. It also may be useful for taking notes or brainstorming for topic ideas.
Some teachers think that this sort of exercise can build teamwork and technology skills and writing and editing skills. It also enables homeschooled students or shy students to participate easily and helps to concentrate effort on a single task. However, wikis in education may have some important drawbacks. Some educators have noted that students prefer to create new wiki pages rather than update or edit prior entries. In addition, conflicts and confusion may arise among students over added, deleted, and edited material.
Many companies and other organizations also have turned to wikis to increase communication and collaboration among their personnel and to focus energy and collect information on particular products, services, or goals. Business managers may find wikis economically sound, easy to use (as they require little specialized technical skill), and convenient for employees who may work remotely or on different shifts. Wikis also may have a positive effect on scheduling matters, project management, and business and social networking between clients and employees.
Some wiki users also have used weblogs, or blogs, to achieve similar goals. Although these forms of communication are related in that they allow group contributions to a single project, they have several important differences as well. Wikis and blogs generally feature different organization, with wikis more eccentrically designed and blogs more linear with newer information on top. More importantly, wikis allow many or all users to alter content, whereas blogs usually are administered by a single author or creator who can make all editorial decisions.
Wiki users have identified some drawbacks with their chosen medium. One is the high risk of vandalism and conflict between users, though these factors often can be solved through restoring information from backup archives. Another problem with wikis is that they cannot exist without user contributions; without active users to add and edit material, wikis would cease to be interactive and dynamic. In addition, critics have charged that the lack of central authority in a wiki means that wiki information is inherently not authoritative and therefore potentially unreliable. Many have cautioned that material on wikis should be confirmed before accepted as factual or correct.
Bibliography
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