Instructional Technology & Design Office or The World of Wikis Presented by Rebecca McGuire

Agenda What is a Wiki? Why use Wikis? Parts of a Wiki Choosing a Wiki Host Wiki examples Libraries and Wikis

What is a Wiki? A group of web pages that can be edited by any user A collaborative, interactive website that is creative and edited by many authors No top-down command structure Users can: Add new information Edit previous authors’ submissions allow their users to compare previous versions of its pages Track who wrote or edited what and when

Why Use Wikis? Easy to use Usually don’t need any knowledge of text markup languages Web-based No other apps needed Anyone can make changes, and they can be constantly updated and improved

Why Use Wikis? Many are free and open-sourced Encourage collaboration Easy to link to related pages

Parts of a Wiki All wikis start off as a single blank page Pages are created and connected by hyperlinks WikiLink: hyperlink whose destination is a different wiki page No ownership of pages; anyone can change the work of others

Parts of a Wiki Recent and relevant changes to the wiki are shown Discussion section Users can login to make changes Can create homepages, track their involvement

Choosing a Wiki Host Different wiki systems have varying capabilities Look at cost and domain name hosting Content management: Some can only handle words and images; others can handle additional content such as videos, calendars, and instant messaging

Choosing a Wiki Host Look and feel: different wikis have different layouts Permissions: some systems let you assign different user privileges Security: look at which wikis are larger targets for spam, vandalism, and collapse

Examples of Wikis Media Wiki Free, open-source, simple to navigate Users can make their own page Product of wikimedia, which is a nonprofit under Wikipedia Confluence Wiki GSLIS staff use this Costs money

Examples of Wikis Wiki Spaces Easy to use, often in school libraries Very secure; only invited members can edit content Local Wikis Provide wide variety of community information Encourage collaboration and community ownership Anyone can contribute; represents different perspectives Challenges: getting community involved, sustainability, providing diverse views and unique information

Libraries and Wikis Communication between staff and patrons Collaboration between libraries A way to share resources, book lists, and book reviews Some examples: Subject guide wikis Best practices wikis Reference-interview wikis Staff intranet wikis Community wikis

Conclusion What did you just learn? What is a Wiki? Why use Wikis? Parts of a Wiki Choosing a Wiki Host Wiki examples Libraries and Wikis Quiz!

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