Item 16: Wikis

This item will be focusing on Wikis.

Simply put, a wiki is website that lets multiple users add, remove and edit content. You don't need to understand HTML (the stuff you see when you view the source of a webpage) and you don't need to know how to use webpage building software. Adding content on a wiki is, with just a few variations, just like using word processing software.

And, even better, you don't need to worry about messing something up - a wiki allows you (or anyone else) to revert to a previously saved version of your webpage. But what if someone changes your entry, one you thought was perfect? A wiki also offers tracking tools that tell you who makes each contribution (the add, the edit, the deletion) and when they made it - you can either revert that page to its previous version or get in touch with the person who made the change.

The collective

Wikis are built by their contributors - readers who add, remove and edit content. And this typically goes one of two ways - an open model where anyone (and I mean anyone) is invited to contribute or a closed model where a select group are invited to contribute. Either way, it is an exercise in trust -whomever contributes is expected to meet certain standards of quality and should expect, should they not reach these standards, that another participant will remove their contributions.

Wikipedia is the best known example of the first model - anyone can participate. Wikipedia does, however, employ staff who will freeze an topic if foul play is reported by readers. Errors and obvious fakeries are often (though, not always) corrected very quickly.

Citizendium is another example of the open model but with increased oversight. The site is including "gentle expert oversight" (staff who check for accuracy) and does not allow for contributor anonymity - contributors must use their real names.

An example of the controlled model? The St. Joseph County Public Library has a limited number of staff members contributing to their SJCPL Subject Guides.

Here at FVRL, we are using wikis in a few different areas:

YA Wiki - This is a place for our staff who work with teens to add thoughts, ideas, ask questions, get answers, and read about what other people are doing.
Building Project Wiki - information about our building projects
IS Fugitive Facts Wiki - This wiki is an attempt at bringing the IS department fugitive file (a collection of hard-to-find, oft-needed facts faithfully collected by librarians and formerly located in a "fugitive file" at the reference desk) to the digital age.

Here are some different places where you can build your own wiki:

• MediaWiki (http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki)
• Peanut Butter Wiki (http://pbwiki.com/)
• Swiki (http://wiki.squeak.org/swiki/)
• Tiddlywiki (http://tiddlyspot.com/)
• Very Quick Wiki (http://www.vqwiki.org/)
• For a larger list, see Wikipedia’s list of wiki software (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wiki_software).

And here are some different wikis you might take a look at:

• Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)
• Wikimedia Commons (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)
• WikiBooks (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page)
• WikiTravel (http://wikitravel.org/en/Main_Page)
• WikiHow (http://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page)
• Library Instruction Wiki (http://instructionwiki.org/)
• Pierce County Library Wiki (http://wiki.piercecountylibrary.org/)
• The Stevens County Rural Library District Wiki (http://www.scrldwiki.org/index.php/Main_Page)
• Outline Garfield County Public Library Wiki (https://gcplswiki.wikispaces.com/Contest) for their Social Networking Contest.

Finally, here are some articles about wikis:

This is a brief article at Online Community Report that discusses when it’s best to use a wiki.

Meredith Farkas has been writing about wikis for years now, and using them for even longer. Take a look at her Wiki’s: A Beginner’s Look. This is an excellent (and short) slide presentation with terrific visuals. You may also want to read her article, Using Wikis to Create Online Communities, on WebJunction.

And there's Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki. Take a look at their What is a Wiki? presentation. Yes, it's a wiki talking about wikis.

Activities:

1. First, watch the Wikis In Plain English video.
2. Read 1 article about what wikis are and how they can be used.
3. Look at some different wikis. While you browse through them, think about who the target audience is, what the purpose of the wiki is, and how well it seems to be fulfilling that purpose.
4. Now, write a blog post about what you think about wikis - what have you learned about them? What are your concerns? What other kinds of projects would a wiki be a good tool for? Have you ever used a wiki, and what was your experience with it at that time? Or anything else wiki-related that strikes your fancy.