Wikis

Up until reading this article I never really knew anything about wikis. Unlike most college students, I don't even use wikipedia to look things up, I have always just used google. This article was full of great information about wikis as well as tips for choosing them and how to use them. The article states that, "A wiki is a website where every page can be edited in a web browser, by whomever happens to be reading it. The article stresses that wikis are great to use for group projects because they make it much easier to keep them organized. Rather than everyone just writing notes individually you are able to post them online, all in the same place so that everyone can read them and stay on the same page. The article says that when using a wiki, we must be tech-savy because they can be complicated at times. Some criteria for choosing a wiki is that the wiki must be easy to install, it should have user accounts, have the capacity for attachments, you should be able to view page history, it must have page edit locking meaning no more than one person can edit at a time, and etc. The article also lists some wiki sharing tips, such as, don't share too much and be precise. Last but not least, the article lists some pros and cons of using a wiki. Some advantages are, that they are good for writing quick and long ideas, they are accessible from anywhere with a web connection, and everyone has a say. Some disadvantages to using a wiki are that you have to patrol them often if they are public, you have to be tech-savy, and its not a good content management system.

Link to article:http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2006/07/07/what-is-a-wiki.html