Week 7 : Exercise 1 : Thing 1 - Wikis

As I said in my last post, I'm a big fan of what Chip Nilges referred to as, collecting user intelligence. This extends to Wikis - they allow us to tap into the time/energy/knowledge of the wider users of a system.

This being said, I think the first thing that must be pointed out to anyone using or learning from a wiki (especially those that require no authentication) is that wikis - because of their co-operative nature - can also be manipulated or misleading.

So, I think they're great, but I think information is sometimes best to be double checked before using it.

This article from the Independent gives an overview of these problems, the website and programmer who unveiled these dodgy edits. And some NZ examples: here, and here.

OK, now I've got that out of the way, you might remember that I said I like wikis! Yes, it's true. I think they're a great source of information - and while there can be problems with the validity of entries - these can be worked around with options like a verified email login, or only allowing certain authors to edit pages. And the pay-off is that you get information that is from somebody who is passionate about the field of enquiry, and often can find rare gems.

With regards to wikis in the ACL website, I think they would work well to foster an online community that could be separated into sections of genre, and interest. This could take the form of reviews; recommendations; school subjects; popular questions...

Perhaps it would be possible to link into the curriculum of local schools so that a subject of research is covered in its own wiki, which not only explores that subject, but directs students to relevant books.