You may have heard the name - you may have even contributed to one without realising it, but what exactly are Wikis and how do they work?
- What is a Wiki?
A Wiki is a website that a group of people can use to collaborate. Every user can add or edit the content of the site just using a web browser and changes are updated almost instantly.
So, for example, if you were organising an event with a number of people from all over the UK it's not practical for you to meet every week due to the distance and travel involved. Instead you could create a Wiki so everyone can contribute. If you enter a draft itinerary on the Wiki then other people in the group could add to it or amend it, all just using a web browser.
- Where does the name come from?
The name is derived from the Hawaiian for fast. The first Wiki was made by Ward Cunningham to help programmers share ideas.
Cunningham was going to call the software QuickWeb, but later decided on WikiWikiWeb after the visiting Honolulu and travelling on the shuttle bus called the Wiki Wiki Bus.
Cunningham's original Wiki can still be found at
www.c2.com/cgi/wiki - Which are the best-known Wikis?
The most famous Wiki is Wikipedia (
www.wikipedia.org), which is an online encyclopaedia that anyone can contribute to. Wikipedia is available in 250 languages - there's even an Esperanto version - and contains over six million articles.
Other notable Wikis include: TV IV (www. tviv.org) about TV shows, set up to replace the website TV Tome that was bought by Cnet; travel guides Wikitravel (
www.wikitravel.org) and World66 (
www.world66.com); science fiction Wikis Memory Alpha (
www.memory-alpha.org) for Star Trek and Wookieepedia (starwars.wikia.com) for Star Wars; recipe repository CookbookWiki (
www.cookbookwiki.com) and Wikipedia spoof Uncyclopedia (
www.uncyclopedia.org) which contains made-up information.
- How do I contribute to a Wiki?
Contributing to a Wiki can be as simple as pressing the edit button, changing the text and then clicking save. Some sites require you to register first, while others allow anyone to change pages.
Previous revisions are saved, however, so if someone else doesn't agree with your changes they can revert the document to the previous version. They can of course re-edit the page too, replacing any of your changes.
- How do I start my own Wiki?
You could setup a site using the software that runs Wikipedia - it's free to use - but you would need your own web hosting account and it's fairly complex to set up.
If you'd rather let someone else handle setting up the software there are many companies that will host a Wiki for you - some completely free.
- What service should I use?
Wikia (
www.wikia.com) is one of the largest Wiki hosts, however it has a strict vetting procedure for new sites and will only accept those that it deems will have a large enough audience.
SocialText (
www.socialtext.com) and PBWiki (
www.pbwiki.com) are less stringent and allow you setup up Wikis on anything you like. JotSpot (
www.jot.com) is also simple to use, although it was acquired by Google last year and as a result new registrations are currently suspended.
- Can I lock my Wiki so only certain people can edit it?
Like an online forum, Wikis can be damaged by anti-social activity by a minority of users since the whole point of a Wiki is to allow easy editing.
The easiest way to prevent this is to create a private Wiki that only people you invite can contribute to. The downside of this approach is that the content of the Wiki will be relatively small. It will be fine if you're using it to collaborate with a group of people you know, but the knowledge will be limited to that select group.
If you would like people you don't know to also add to your Wiki then you can request that they register first. This is similar to forum registration and means that people have to supply some details about themselves before they can contribute. If they abuse their position then they can be easily banned from participating - either for a period of time or indefinitely.
- Is there anything else I need to consider?
Since users will be contributing written material to your Wiki then it's necessary to consider copyright.
It's important that the ownership of submissions is made clear - who owns the material and what can you do with it once they've added to the Wiki?
You must also ensure that no one adds material protected by copyright to your Wiki without permission - otherwise you could be liable for infringing someone else's copyright.
Topic: Contributing to and creating Wikis (Read 2038 times)