Wonderful Wikis!

I'm very behind on my Library 2.0 stuff (which is that neat online class I'm taking at work!). Two weeks ago the assignment was to participate on a wiki that was set up for this class. The topics all revolve around summertime in Manitoba. We had to create, edit, or add to pages in the Wiki to learn what one is and how to use it. It's pretty cool!

Wikis are a great way to collaborate on the web. Think Wikipedia, and you've got it! Anyone can create one, then (with your permission, if you make it so that anyone can!) anyone can edit or add to it! Obviously this isn't great for everything, but it has advantages.

We were asked to blog about a few things related to wikis. Here are my thoughts.

1. How might a wiki be used in libraries, in my area or in education directly?
   In my area we are thinking of setting up a Wiki to keep our minutes from our monthly unit meetings. I think this is a great idea because if the minutes don't need to be formal, then anyone can add their thoughts on the meeting, edit something that was reported in error, update actions that they were supposed to work on, etc. A wiki might also be a neat way to collaborate in my area of Electronic Resources, if my two collegues didn't sit right beside me. We could keep lists of neat features that would help us out in our jobs, neat computer tips and tricks (oh, I feel an idea coming on! Maybe I'll start one! Think of the sharing of keyboard short cuts and MS Excel tips!!!) and odd online technologies which make life easier (like using tinyurl.com)
2. What are some commonalities / differences between blogs and wikis?
   Well, things that blogs and wikis have in common would include some points like how it is easy to format the info you want to post and put it up on the web for all to see quick and easy, without having to create a whole website yourself. In both formats, people can comment on this information, and you are not limited to any subject matter, you can put whatever you want up. The difference between a Blog and a Wiki is that if this were a wiki, you could edit my bad spelling and grammer. Because it's not, you are limited to making a comment about said grammer and spelling, and you can't change it. :-P Blogs are much less collaborative.
3. Are there aspects of wiki functionality that I found appealing / not so appealing?
   I like the idea that anyone can shape a wiki. However, I also find that concept not so appealing! If you start out with a vision for something, and you put it up, complete with some "rules" for editing your wiki, you could still log in a day later and all your stuff is gone! So, you have to be ready for the collaborative function of a wiki. This can be scary for people whose job it is to organize information. What if the next guy doesn't "do it right?" I'm not sure that wikis would be a great fit for me..

All that being said, I went ahead and set up my own wiki on PBworks. I think I will play with some other wiki sites as well, but I started there for the sake of convenience. This wiki is a project wiki for a group I'm involved with, the Winnipeg Walk to Remember. I'm hoping that we can use it as a tool for writing some letters, making a time table, etc. Things that would have been done best in person, but we're having trouble meeting in person, so hopefully this can be a substitute!

So far I've found wikis to be an interesting way to collaborate and put information out for the world to see. I'm not sure how comfortable I am with all aspects of the idea, such as having people change things that I might not have felt needed to be changed, but it's a good way for everyone to get their say! I like the concept in general.