About Wikis

A wiki is an interactive web site that is much easier to set up and use than a traditional web site. It requires no knowledge of HTML, although that language can be used for advanced features. It allows anyone—not just “computer nerds”—to take part in the creation and editing of web content.

A wiki can be used to create online “communities” of people with common interests. It can be used both to disseminate information to the members of a community and to receive information from the members. As stated by one wiki-user, “a wiki can become a repository for the collective knowledge of the community; a place where anyone can share their success stories, advice, and useful materials.” That doesn’t mean that a wiki is just a collection of unorganized materials; it should have some sort of structure in which people will feel comfortable posting information. The easiest way to create a wiki is to use templates provided by an online wiki developer such as PBwiki.

Anyone can access a wiki using only its URL, but anyone wanting to edit it may need a password, which can be disseminated to the members of the organization for which the wiki is intended. There are usually directions in a wiki for entering text or photos, making links, etc. Wikis are sometimes vandalized by malicious users but most wiki programs save all of the earlier versions of each page, so it is easy to revert back to an older version of a corrupted page; and vandalism is unlikely in a small group where the members know one another.

A wiki is maintained at least in part by the members, using their own computers to add new material to the web side or revise material that is already there. There are usually one or more wiki administrators to provide help to the members, check wiki pages for inappropriate material, correct errors, keep things organized, and update or modify the wiki as needed. With PBwiki, the wiki administrators are notified by e-mail whenever a change is made to a wiki.

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