The best example of a Wiki
is Wikipedia, the free, editable online
encyclopedia. While it has been criticized for its
accuracy at times, it is nevertheless a valuable
resource and is particularly strong at providing up to
date information about computer and online technologies.
While not perfect, it proves the web can be a powerful
place to disseminate information and to open its gates
of information literally to anyone with a computer and
web connection.
Wiki is an abbreviated Hawaiian term which
means fast. The full term is Wiki Wiki or Fast Fast.
Wikis are editable websites which users are allowed to
collaborate, add and share information by being able to
actually edit the webpage being viewed. A Wiki is
actually software that needs to be installed on a server
or local computer. Knowledge of back end scripting in
necessary to get the Wiki up and running but the
software itself is usually free. There are a number of
Wiki software packages available. Wikis can be installed
on just your local, personal computer, on a peer-to-peer
network without a server or on a Wide Area Network (WAN)
such as the World Wide Web. Below are some examples of
Wikis for each of these instances.
Local Wiki
- Resides only on your local
computer and is used to quickly find and edit information
found only on your computer. It can be handy for organizing
certain types of information. It is rare that you see this
type of Wiki, but good to know it exists.
TiddlyWiki
Peer to Peer
Wiki - For use in
direct computer to computer sharing and editing of
webpages. There is only one software title that falls into
this category.
Code Co-Op
Wiki - For the Web in
general
MediaWiki - Originally designed for Wikipedia,
this is the most popular and free Wiki software which
can be installed and used on systems worldwide.