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Wikis, Briefly Considered Texas Library Association / District 5 Mark Gilman Dallas Public Library Sept 23, 2006. 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. Wikis Defined. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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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/