A Wiki Primer

Social media is about 140 characters (Twitter), building work networks (LinkedIn), building cozy 'friend' and 'fan' relationships (Facebook) and more. But, what do you learn from all this interconnectivity? Would you like to build something more solid or participate in groundbreaking knowledge schemes? Then, learn more about wikis and what they can do for your credibility.

Building the Wiki

Wiki Software

Without wiki software, wikis would not exist. Wiki software abounds, but if you want to build a wiki, look closer at what other wiki sites use. If the wiki is large, never (hardly ever) crashes from traffic spikes (which also is attributable to a high-quality Web hosting service) and functions rationally and smoothly, then that is the software you want to use if you want to build a wiki.

There are more than 100 wiki-engines available, so which one you choose depends on what you want within your own wiki, should you decide to build a wiki site. This is where Wikipedia comes in handy, as that community already has build a comparative list of available wiki software at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_wiki_software.

Wikipedia also offers a list of Wikipedia software without comparisons and a list of wikis that you can use to see how one wiki might differ from another in functionality, accessibility and usability.

You also might look at WikiMatrix to learn more about wiki software and comparative features.

Wiki Farms

If you want to jump into building a wiki without the software hassle, you might want to take advantage of a wiki farm. In this case, a server administrator installs the wiki software and portions it to users for individual wikis. In other words, a wiki farm is a wiki hosting service that relieves users of the need to install a wiki server, configure it, connect it to the Internet and maintain it. This has greatly increased the availability of wiki technology for users who want to share information on-line through their own wiki.

If this is your idea of a great way to build a wiki, then check out this Wikipedia list of wiki farms with comparisons: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_wiki_farms

One example of a wiki farm includes Wikispaces, where you can build a free wiki or pay to gain more server space and flexibility:

I chose this site primarily because you can see at a glance how simple a wiki farm can be for any user. You can easily gain access to features, pricing, tours of various wikis on this farm and learn about this company's 'Private Label' service. You also can learn more about why you might want to build a wiki for your business, non-profit or educational efforts.

Why a Wiki?

As if you don't already have enough on your plate now, right? So, why create or get involved with a wiki? The following list provides pros and cons in working with wikis:

• You can work on projects in a private wiki with other team members. Then again, you can use Google Docs or other collaborative software for the same purpose.

• You can create 'encyclopedias' that document old work as well as use the site to create new work collaboratively. This concept expands to include lists of links to useful sites as well as the ability to document upcoming events. While you can use a variety of software to accomplish this goal (including Ning), wikis seem to hold a special place in the ability to work collaboratively on a project that documents projects.

• Wikis can be used as passive storage systems that can be private or that can be made available to the general public. This goal also can be reached by other software systems, including remote file storage sites. However, many of these remote storage systems are private systems without capabilities to make documents and files open to the public and available to edit.

• While wikis have been lauded as a means for community interactivity above such sites as Blackboard (a collaborative site used for education), there are several drawbacks including the time required to edit changes or to review uploads for security reasons. Security re: passwords, interactivity allowed to the general public, etc. can become a nightmare and a full-time job.

Even with the negatives and alternatives to wikis, users find wiki software and wiki farms an ideal solution for collaborative efforts, simply because the word, "wiki," has come to symbolize interactivity. In one study, Susannah Howe learned that people who are inexperienced with the Web found wikis an ideal solution as the software is easy to use and seems to draw interactivity and collaboration from people like a magnet.