WikimediaWorlds

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/07419050510633961
Pages46-54
Date01 September 2005
Published date01 September 2005
AuthorGerry McKiernan
Subject MatterLibrary & information science
E-profile
Gerry McKiernan
46 LIBRARY HITECH NEWS Number 8 2005, pp. 46-54, #Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/07419050510633961
WikimediaWorlds
Part I: Wikipedia
Imagine a world in which every single
person is given free access to the sum of
all human knowledge. That's what we're
doing (Wikimedia Foundation meta.wi-
kimedia.org/wiki/Leaflet/en)
Wiki
As viewed by Ward Cunningham,
the father of the Wiki (c2.com/cgi/
wiki?WikiHistory):
... a wiki is a freely-expandable collec-
tion of interlinked web ``pages'', a
hypertext system for storing and modify-
ing information ± a database, where each
page is easily editable by any user ...''
(Leuf and Cunningham, 2001, p. 14).
Wiki is a ... collaborative space ...
because of its total freedom, ease of
access, and use, [and] simple and uni-
form navigational conventions ...[It] ...
is also a way to organize and cross-link
knowledge ...'' (Leuf and Cunningham,
2001, p. 16).
The original wiki, The Portland
Pattern Repository (c2.com/ppr/) was
created by Cunningham in 1995
(c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiHistory).
``Wiki wiki'' (pronounced ``wicky'',
``weekee'' or ``veekee'') (encyclopedia.
laborlawtalk.com/Wiki#Pronunciation)
is a Hawaiian term for ``quick'' or
``super-fast'' (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Wiki). ``Cunningham coined the term
wiki after the `wiki wiki' or `quick'
shuttle buses at Honolulu Airport''
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki#History).
The wiki concept reflects his view that a
web-based database should be simple to
create and easy to use (en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Ward_Cunningham). As
concisely described by Berkman (2004,
p. 1), a wiki is:
a collection of related HTML pages,
typically residing on a server, created
by wiki software. Wiki software permits-
and is designed to enable-any visitor to
edit the existing wiki documents without
any special access authorization. No
programming knowledge or technical
capabilities to make edits or add new
wiki pages are required; edits can be
input right on the document, and they
take effect immediately. As such, a wiki
embodies what is called an ``open edit-
ing'' philosophy.
Indeed, as noted by Lamb (2004):
...the wide-open ethic of wikis contrasts
vividly with the traditional approaches of
standard groupware and collaborative
systems. Access restrictions, rigidly de-
fined workflows, and structures are
anathema to most wiki developers.
What's unique about wikis is that users
define for themselves how their processes
and groups will develop ...
A Wiki is an example of ``social
software'', ``a type of software that makes
it easy for groups of people to work in a
virtual environment'' (Chawner and
Lewis, 2004). Blogs, instant messaging,
and internet relay chats are among other
prominent types of social software or
systems (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_
software#Examples).
General features and functions
``A defining characteristic of wiki
technology is the ease with which pages
can be created and updated''
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki). ``Most
wikis provide the user with a set of
navigation or utility tools such as the
ability to edit a page; view recently
changed pages; use a `history' feature
to view or roll back to a previous
version of a page; `discuss' offline
changes or proposed changes to a page;
use a `backlinks' function (view all the
pages that link to the page currently
displayed); search the wiki; and others''
(Peterson, 2004, p. 14). In addition,
most wikis provide a ``sandbox'' in
which users can test and experiment
with the wiki syntax, editing
conventions, and other features and
functionalities (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Wikipedia:About_the_Sandbox). While,
``some wiki implementations provide
the ability to register users and restrict
editing capabilities to a particular set of
users ...'' (Peterson, 2004, p. 14), most
public wikis do not generally require
that readers register, and additions or
modifications made by readers are not
typically reviewed prior to publication
within a wiki (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Wiki).
Advantages
In a recent review, Bean and Hott
(2005) clearly summarize the
advantages of Wikis within
organizations, noting their ``potential to
provide individuals with a forum for
improving knowledge and advancing
thought processes; form collaborative
social research communities with
respect to project management, provide
innovative reference repositories for all
aspects of planning, operation, and
implementation'' (Bean and Hott 2005,
p. 8).
Uses
Since their initial introduction, the
use of wikis has grown to include a
range of current or potential
collaborative activities in a wide variety
of organizational environments
(McKiernan, 2005), notably in
corporations (Berkman, 2004),
institutions of higher education (Lamb,
2004; Schwartz et al., 2004), and
libraries (Berkman, 2004; Minor, 2004)

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