IntroToWikis

What is a wiki?



 * wiki is an abbreviation for the Hawaiian word "wiki wiki" - meaning "quick"
 * an open, collaborative website that allows anyone to add and edit pages
 * software that tracks changes, making it easier to repair damage than to cause it
 * an organic encyclopedia of knowledge, such as the wikipedia - which now has over 1 million pages contribute by people around the world
 * typically, uses special "wiki syntax" so you don't need to know HTML to edit content
 * a rich network of links between content
 * a direct descendent of the original hypertext model of the internet (and the early world wide web)

What good is a wiki?

 * use wikis in the classroom Cool Cat Teacher - using wikis in the K12 classroom
 * collaborating on a paper Pachyderm paper for Museums and the Web 2005
 * collaborating on project documentation LearningCommons/Documentation/Subversion
 * managing information for a project Pachyderm Project
 * sharing information for a conference Canadian Library Association 2005
 * collaboration on conference presentation What's the Fuss About RSS?
 * Brian Lamb has an excellent article in the Sept/Oct 2004 issue of EDUCAUSE Review Wide Open Spaces: Wikis, Ready or Not. This article addresses many of the fears and misconceptions about wikis, especially in academia.  A PDF version of the article is also available if you'd prefer.

Where can I wiki?

 * wiki.ucalgary.ca - University of Calgary Wiki
 * Wikipedia: the free-content encyclopedia that anyone can edit
 * WikiNews: the free news source that you can write!
 * Wikitravel: the free-content travel guide that anyone can edit
 * LISWiki: Library and Information Science Wiki

Wiki Software

 * MediaWiki drives this wiki, as well as the Wikipedia
 * TiddlyWiki is a personal wiki that lives on your hard drive, but can be published as snapshots to the web.
 * WikiSpaces - a free hosted wiki with an intiuitive visual page editor
 * VoodooPad is a personal wiki application that runs on your desktop (MacOSX only)
 * WikityWidget is a personal wiki implemented as Dashboard widget that runs on your desktop (MacOSX only)
 * eLearningCentre in the UK has compiled a list of various wiki software packages