Wiki

A Wiki, derived from Hawaiian word for ‘quick’, is a collaborative editing environment which allows any number of individuals to collaborate in order to create and edit a web page or series of web pages. This also allows for the implementation and presentation of multiple types of information. Wikis can incorporate text, sound, video as well as including hyper-links within each individual page either to link to other pages in the wiki or to external resources. This gives end users a functional, multifaceted, multimedia experience rather than having to seek out those materials in their raw forms. Most wiki software also provides a suit of user-friendly tools for the editing and construction of the wiki, ensuring that it is simple and accessible and allows anyone to participate in the editing and creating process.



The credited inventor if the Wiki is Ward Cunningham who had three main purposes behind his invention. He wanted all pages to be accessible and editable by visitors; he wanted there to be meaningful linkage and association between pages and topics and rather than containing carefully crafted and curated content targeted at end users; he wanted the users to be integrally involved in the creation and maintenance of material. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for users to become involved in the editing and creation process and as a result does not require any review process before changes or additions are implemented.

Critics have noted that this has led to “social Darwinism” on large wikis as content which is not deemed fit by the community is culled, hopefully resulting in an evolution of better, more professional content. This has led to a philosophy of making it easy to correct mistakes and update content rather than make it hard to make mistakes and putting a gate on content. Most wikis offer transparency through a revision history that allows users to observe the changes that have taken place to a wiki page over time.

Despite the perception of Wikis as “untrustworthy”, proponents argue that the communities generally rigorously self-enforce and expert moderation makes for quality content.

Wikipedia is the best known example of a wiki and wikis have been used for many different applications, including within business and enterprise for internal management and documentation of systems and also within education as a means of international collaboration. The desire to teach collaboration as a classroom skill has led to increased study of wikis as a classroom tool.