Thing #7: Wikis

Define:

A Wiki is a quick-to-build, easy-to-edit website on which all information can be edited, changed, or rewritten by the users or members of the site. It is an incredibly useful tool for collaborative writing, pooling knowledge or exchanging ideas, especially on a subject that changes or needs updating frequently.

Here's another one of those great videos from commoncraft to help us understand wikis "in plain English:"



The word "Wiki" comes from the Hawaiian phrase "wiki wiki", which is commonly used to indicate something fast. The first Wiki ever made was WikiWikiWeb, an attempt to make an easily updatable website about certain trends in software development. It was started in 1995 and has been added to and continually updated since then.

Some of the benefits that make wikis so attractive are:
- Anyone (registered or unregistered, if unrestricted) can add, edit or delete content.
- Tracking tools within wikis allow you to easily keep up on what been changed and by whom.
- Earlier versions of a page can be viewed and reinstated when needed.
- And users do not need to know HTML in order to apply styles to text or add and edit content. In most cases simple syntax structure is used.

As the use of wikis has grown over the last few years, libraries all over the country have begun to use them to collaborate and share knowledge. Among their applications are pathfinder or subject guide wikis, book review wikis, ALA conference wikis and even library best practices wikis.

Discover:

Wikipedia is probably the most well-know wiki. It is essentially a free encyclopedia on the web that anyone can edit. Take a look at the entry for Roselle, Illinois.

Let's also take a look at some library and library-related wikis:

SJCPL Subject Guides – a pathfinder wiki developed by the St. Joseph County Public Library system (South Bend, IN)

Library Success: A best practices wiki for libraries

2009 ALA Midwinter Meeting.Denver, CO – an example of a wiki created to support a specific event

Twelve Weeks to 2.0 - Schaumburg Library's Learning 2.0 project was done as a wiki rather than a blog as was Park Ridge Public Library's All Wired Up

Libraries and organizations are using wikis for Community and Information Guides, Conference Sites, Intranets, and many other things. See examples of these and other ways wikis are being used.

Now, let's write your "Thing #7: Wikis" blog post

Browse to the "Playtime" blog you created in Thing #1 (it should be listed in the Participants' Blogs on the right) and create a new post.
Use "Thing #7: Wikis" as the title of your blog post.
In the post, write about:
- what did you find interesting about the wikis you looked at and about the concept of wikis, in general
- did you find the Wikipedia entry for Roselle, Illinois
- What did you think of Schaumburg Library and Park Ridge Library's Learning 2.0 wikis? Does a wiki make more sense for a project like this? Why or why not?
- how could we use the wiki format at Roselle

You're all finished with Thing #7.
You've learned a little bit about Wikis and taken the time to look at a few. You've seen examples of some library-related wikis.

Optional BONUS CHALLENGE:
About that Wikipedia article about Roselle, Illinois. Is there anything you would want to edit add or delete? If you feel brave, go ahead and create a Wikipedia account and update the information. If you're not that brave, but you'd still like a little more hands-on experience with wikis, Register for an account,and play in the Wikipedia sandbox. Edits to the sandbox page are deleted every 12 hours (if not overwritten by other users before that).

Have you heard about cloud computing? It's all the rage in Web 2.0. Find out what it is and the advantages and disadvantages in Thing #8: Online Apps (Coming Soon)