Filed under: General Info, Uncategorized, Wiki | Tags: collaborate, group contributions, project management
Wikis are websites that use special software to enable users to create or edit linked hierarchical pages. They often take the form of a table of contents, with higher-level pages that lead to specific subpages. Wikipedia is the largest one, but there are thousands of them in existence, with new ones popping up every day. They have been around since 1995, and are still growing in popularity.
Wikipedia models itself after an encyclopedia, but that is not the only way that wikis can be used. Some libraries use internal wikis to manage their policies and procedures. Many companies are replacing their old Intranets with wikis. Some individuals use them as personal knowledge management software. Since most wikis allow discussion and comments on page changes, they can lead to dynamic, vibrant communities of users.
For Thing 21, we are going to take a look at wikis, and create some pages of our own.
Start out by watching yet another Common Craft video: Wikis in Plain English.
Now that you have some background, go to Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org. Wikipedia is a giant encyclopedia that anyone can add to or edit. It handles multiple languages, and is the largest wiki in existence.
In the search box, enter a subject of your choice. It can be anything that interests you.
You should get an article on that subject. Read through it, paying attention to how the information is organized. Do you agree with everything that is said there? Are there any warnings on the page relating to the quality of the information?
At the top of the article will be a tab called Discussion. Go to it to see comment people have left about various changes they (or others) have made to this page.
Now go to the History tab to see how the page has changed over time.
Let’s try out hand at using wiki pages! First go to
www.wiki23things.wiki.zoho.com
This site has been set up for us to practice making pages.
You have two options:
1. click on “add a sub-page” in the left hand navigation field to create an entry for a new resturant
2. choose a resturant and click on “edit” to add or change information
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