Table of Contents
Presenting this wiki: An introduction to wiki
- Wiki concepts — the idea of a wiki
- Taste of a wiki — whirlwind tour
- Ideas again — wiki vs. email and wiki vs. intranet
- Using the wiki — pragmatic introduction and tutorial
- Extending usage — “interesting” things to do
Initially presented 25 October 2005 at MBPC, NHMLAC.
Wiki concepts
An open, editable web space where anyone can contribute and improve content.
Differs from “standard” web spaces since editing and adding material are accessible to anyone with a browser.
Taste of a wiki
Tour of a sample page: MBPC Library – top page of this wiki, from top to bottom:
- logo / wiki name link
- backlinks link at top left
- header:
[Edit this page],[Old revisions],[Recent changes], and[Search] - breadcrumb trail
- page title
- table of contents
- body of page with headings, text, and links
- footer:
[Index]
Editing a page: Try it out in the PlayGround. Just click [Edit this page], make changes, click [Save].
Entering text:
- text is wrapped (like HTML on a web page)
- break paragraphs using a blank line
- simple markup using buttonbar or just type in the characters
Creating a new page: Just make a new link in your edited text, save the page you’re editing, then visit your new link and edit it.
Ideas again
- Compared to a web site
- A wiki is like an intranet in that it serves as a place to deposit and display information.
- It has the web advantages of accessibility and centrality.
- But a wiki is different because anyone is empowered to improve and contribute.
- The technical hurdles are much, much lower.
- Compared to email
- A wiki is similar to email in that it’s quick and easy to write.
- It has the same quality that anyone can use it without extensive training or special privileges.
- But a wiki is different from email because it is available to everyone (unlike your email folders).
- It’s also structured, unlike email.
- But, if anyone can make changes, won’t it just turn into mush?
- The first impulse is to put in strong administrative controls. That’s usually a bad idea.
- Successful sites are successful because people can improve them.
- If there’s a bad edit, it can always be backed out (without having to get “approvals” to do so).
Using the wiki
So that these might be more useful in other contexts, I’ll give the usage information on new pages.
