KCLS Learning 2.0
 
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Wikis

 

Podcast about wikis

Simply put, a wiki is website that lets multiple users add, remove and edit content. The great part is that you don't need to understand HTML code or know how to use webpage building software. Adding content on a wiki is, with just a few variations, just like using word processing software.
 
Even better, you don't need to worry about messing something up! A wiki allows you (or anyone else) to revert to a previously saved version of the site. But what if someone changes your entry, one you thought was perfect? A wiki also offers tracking tools that tell you who makes each contribution (the add, the edit, the deletion) and when they made it - you can either revert that page to its previous version or get in touch with the person who made the change.
 
The Collective
 
Wikis are built by their contributors - readers who add, remove and edit content. This typically goes one of two ways - an open model where anyone is invited to contribute or a closed model where a select group is invited to contribute. Either way, it is an exercise in trust - whomever contributes is expected to meet certain standards of quality and should expect that another participant will remove their contributions should they not reach these standards.
 
Wikipedia is the best known example of the first model - anyone can participate. Wikipedia does, however, employ staff who will freeze an topic if foul play is reported by readers. Errors and obvious fakeries are often (though, not always) corrected very quickly.

Citizendium is another example of the open model but with increased oversight. The site is including "gentle expert oversight" (staff who check for accuracy) and does not allow for contributor anonymity - contributors must use their real names.
 
An example of the controlled model? The St. Joseph County Public Library has a limited number of staff members contributing to their version of our Web Links page -
SJCPL Subject Guides.
  
More to Read
 
Meredith Farkas has been writing about wikis for years now. Take a look at her Wiki’s: A Beginner’s Look. This is an excellent (and short) slide presentation with terrific visuals. You may also want to read her article, Using Wikis to Create Online Communities, on WebJunction.
 
Finally, there's Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki. Take a look at their What is a Wiki? presentation. Yes, it's a wiki talking about wikis...
 
We suggest that you take a look at three (3) of the following:
 
Discovery Exercise
 
Wikis, as we've already discussed, come in many shapes and sizes. Still another variation in the world of wikis is where your wiki lives - you can install wiki software on a server at your institution or you can use a service that hosts the wiki for you.
 
For today's exercise, we'll be doing the later - our Learning 2.0 wiki was set up with a service called PB Wiki. To start you should take their quick quick PB Wiki Tour (this will open in a separate window). They'll detail the service and fill you in on a number of intersting ways to use wikis - keep clicking on the 'next' button to get to the next screen. Once you run out of 'next' buttons, you've come to the end of the tour.
 
Now, its time to become a contributer to the Learning 2.0 Wiki:
  1. Head over to the Learning 2.0 Wiki (link will open in a separate window).  
  2. Read the main page and follow instructions for making your way to the 'best blogs ever' wiki page.  
  3. Add your blog to the 'best blogs ever' wiki page - instructions will be at the top of the page. Make sure you include your blogging name in the appropriate space so that we know it was you.

Thanks for becoming a Learning 2.0 wiki contributor.