Week 7: Wikis

Wikis are collaborative web sites - anyone can edit and add content (e.g., Wikipedia), although some have restricted editing access, such as the Law Library's Legal Research Skills wiki. This type of web page is really simple to write / edit: no special software required. It's just like using a Word doc but with fewer editing options.

What's the difference between a wiki and a blog?
Think of a wiki as a reference source - consulted regularly, contains info which may occasionally change, (e.g., the library wiki) and unless there are restrictions, anyone can go in and make changes / additions. On the other hand a blog is similar to a diary or journal - frequently updated, and the blog owner = main / sole editor. You'll have read about blogging in Week 2.
Watch this video (about 4 mins) by Common Craft about wikis, then have a go at this week's Things.



Thing 15: Learn about wikis and discover some innovative ways that libraries are using them.

• Google search libraries wikis.
• Here are some others to look at : LIANZA's IT-SIG wiki, Library success - a best practices wiki, and here's a non-library one - the Wiki travel guide

Thing 16: Add an entry to the SandBox wiki
Thanks to TSS, the SandBox wiki has been set up for the Web 2.0 Potluck participants. Any postings on the wiki will be completely anonymous.

• When you have opened the wiki click on the Discussion tab.
• Put in a sentence or two to get you started, and then click Save at the bottom of the screen.
• If you're curious, mouse-over the basic editing tools above the input box to find out what they do.