Overview of Wikis

A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages, through a collaborative effort among the members who have access to the wiki. Web pages are created using a simplified text editor (e.g. WYSIWYG) where the web page is displayed in the format as the text is inserted. It is commonly used as community websites, corporate intranets and knowledge management systems. It can be viewed and modified by wiki members with a Web browser and access through the Internet. While the potential for abuse exists; wikis can be surprisingly robust, open-ended, collaborative group sites. The power of the wiki is limited only by its contributors. Wikis are flexible and can be adapted to small group projects as well as large - scale global collaborations.

At the foundation of every wiki project is the process of collaborative writing. Collaboration is becoming the key to success in a global economy. The 2008 Horizon Report stated that “the way we work, collaborate, and communicate is evolving as boundaries become more fluid and globalization increases” (The New Media Consortium, Educause Learning Initiative 2008). Wikis permit asynchronous communication and group collaboration across the Internet. Typically it has been described as a composition system; a discussion medium; a repository; a mail system; and a tool for collaboration. Wikis provide users with both author and editor privileges with the author/creator having additional rights to delete the wiki and to perform exporting functions.

Wikis are able to incorporate sounds, movies, and pictures; they may prove to be a simple tool to create multimedia presentations and simple digital stories. Open editing has some profound and subtle effects on the wiki’s usage, allowing everyday users to create and edit any page in a Web site. It encourages democratic use of the Web and promotes content composition by users. The graphical user interface is similar to a Web page therefore barriers to modifying wiki pages are minimal. Furthermore, the results of the users’ actions on the content of the site are instantly visible to other users

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