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Wikis, Briefly Considered

Texas Library Association / District 5Mark Gilman

Dallas Public LibrarySept 23, 2006

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Scope of this presentation

What is a wiki? What are they good for? Why do I want one? Where are some good examples? How do I get one? Wikis & Library 2.0

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Wikis Defined

In Hawaiian, “Wiki” means “quick”; Wikis are a collaborative environment for creating

web-based content; They use a simple editing syntax rather than HTML; Editing can be done from any web browser and

updates appear instantly; Creating new pages and adding links is intuitively

simple.

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Origins

Invented in 1995 by Ward Cunningham father of the software called WikiWikiWeb which was created to host the Portland Pattern Repository, a place meant to store computer programming design patterns.

There have been a proliferation of imitators. The best known is “MediaWiki”, on which resides the Wikipedia.

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Uses of Wikis

Use a wiki anywhere you think it helps to have easily editable, web-based content, including:

Subject guides / portals Pathfinders Project wiki Document repository Calendar Staff Intranet

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Some definitions

Wikifarm: “A server or collection of servers that provide wiki hosting.” (Wikipedia)

CamelCase: A syntax that, in most wikis, automatically resolves into a page link as soon as it is saved;

Sandbox: wiki pages where new users can get comfortable with wiki syntax or experienced users can figure out how to do new things.

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Why do I want one?

Great for keeping content up-to-date: no more link-rot!

You don’t have to wait until the entire project is complete before “publishing”;

“Stubs” are part of wiki culture; your site can evolve incrementally;

Leverage networks and teams: multiple editors / authors;

Fosters many-to-many communication.

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Requirements

Most open-source wikis require a LAMP stack: Linux (operating system – server side) Apache (http server) MySQL (database) PHP / PERL / Python (scripting languages)Notable exceptions include DokuWiki and Twiki, lightweight

wikis do not require a database like MySQL. Basic wiki functions can be extended through the use

of plug-ins. (Configuration usually required.)

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Features

Choose your wiki based on features like: Ability to set editing policies for individuals or

groups; Availability of plug-ins: calendars, discussion

forums, etc. Ability to upload file attachments; WYSIWIG editing.

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Comparing features

Wikimatrix.orghttp://www.wikimatrix.org

Wikipedia comparisonsComparison of wiki farms http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_wiki_farms

Comparison of wiki software http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_wiki_software

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Examples

Library Success: A best-practices wikihttp://www.libsuccess.org

ALA New Orleans 2006 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/ala2006/

Teacher Librarian Wikihttp://teacherlibrarianwiki.pbwiki.com/

Ohio Universities Library Biz Wikihttp://www.library.ohiou.edu/subjects/bizwiki/

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Dallas Public Library Project Wiki We have recently set-up a wiki to help

coordinate the work of a project team

http://tinyurl.com/gxeru

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How do I get one?Your choices include: A free commercial “wikifarm” like:

PB Wiki Jotspot

A commercial web host Lunarpages Bluehost Powweb Serversea

Host a wiki on your own server

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Hosting options contrasted

Things to consider: Commercial “wikifarms” include ads running

down one panel and offer limited configuration, so yours may look generic;

Wikis that you install provide a lot more control over “skins”, configuration options, etc. You can make it look just like the rest of your library’s website.

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Open or closed?

With over 2-million articles the Wikipedia is subject to vandalism. Thus, Mediawiki (and someother wiki software) provides for: locking pages down; rolling pages back to earlier versions; use of discussion pages where perspectives are hashed out; blocking of users who don’t have a track record.

You will want to decide who will have the permission set to create or edit pages. It can be just you, a list of persons, or the whole world.

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Conclusions The threshold to participate is low. Solutions like

PBWiki require neither money nor technical knowledge.

Wikis provide the “readable/writable” web envisaged years ago by Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

Use a wiki to organize your life, to build pathfinders, to advertise events. Or dream up new uses.

Wikis take something that used to be harder and have made it very easy.

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Wikis & Library 2.0

Web 2.0 means a writable, dynamic web, where the communication goes in both directions. It is social and collaborative.

Wikis, blogs, MySpace, Flickr, Del.icio.us, digg, Zoho Office, You Tube, all typify Web 2.0

Library 2.0 is a perspective that seeks to leverage these tools and concepts in ways that open new possibilities. There is a huge literature on this.

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Resources

Wikipedia entry: “Wikis”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikis

PB Wiki Tutorialhttp://trainingwiki.pbwiki.com/f/CreatingYourFirstWiki.pdf

Don’t forget about books! There’s even a “Wikis for Dummies” due out next year.http://tinyurl.com/fql3m

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Wikis, Briefly Considered

www.infinitevistas.org/tla/