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Week 6: Wikis
This week is the first where I actually feel on familiar territory as I have had some experience with wikis in the past. One MLIS project included building a web page for an imaginary library that included a wiki. However, it has been a while since that course, so I found Amanda's 'try it out' wiki page a very useful refresher. Because I have had experience with the technical whys and hows of wikis, I think I will jump right to the articles that discuss the implications and myriad uses of wikis in the library/knowledge/information management world.
I always find the articles that discuss the uses of web 2.0 tools for libraries specifically very interesting, especially since I have not yet worked in a library environment. I am, however, currently working closely with many federal governmnet departments and have experienced the departmental library service delivery from a peripheral perspective. The article So You Want to Build a Wiki by Meredith Farkas reminded me of one of the things that first came to my mind when I initially learned about wikis: authority.
She mentions that, as part of planning and structuring a wiki before 'throwing it up on the web,' it is very important to consider what kind of control you wish to exert over its content. For a library, I can see this decision going in two very different directions depending on the audience you wish your wiki to be for and what context it will operate within. For instance, if the wiki will be more informal and will simply provide the youth patrons of a public library a place to collaborate on various projects, ideas, group discussions, etc. then control mechanisms can likely be more loose (barring, of course, the need for monitoring the wiki for 'inappropriate' content and the usual spam). However, if the wiki intends to prodive a collaborative forum for members of the scientific community in which they can exchange research and offer professional opinions and/or advice, then a certain amount of content control (by a person with subject matter expertise or by implementing restricted content creation and/or access rights to registered and known users) may be in order.
This point about authority and its possible implications on wiki users in certain contexts dovetails nicely with the other thing I began to recognize as one of the best and most useful features of a wiki: that of its power to facilitate collaboration. The video Wikis in Plain English from The Common Craft Show gives a great, simple introduction to the possibilities for collaboration via wikis through an example of friends coordinating a camping trip. But, as the article Wikis in the Workplace: How Wikis Can Help Manage Knowledge in Library Reference Services by Angela Kille illustrates, the possibilities can actually extend beyond being merely a 'neat way to collaborate' and can actually move wikis to an indispensible position within organizations as a valuable knowledge management tool.
For me, wikis are one of the most exciting web 2.0 tools because they really embrace the collaborative and community aspects of web 2.0 - everyone lending their opinions, knowledge, and unique world views to any number of contexts, subjects, and goals. Looking through the case studies this week was great to see that so many libraries are using wikis for such a wide array of purposes. The only element I see as a liability of wikis is their current inability to be very customizable. It was evident that the library wikis in this week's studies attempted to put their own personal stamp on their wiki pages, but the current tools simply don't give much 'wiggle room.' I suppose it's the price we pay for the simple interfaces and wysiwyg content editing. I am confident that wikis will soon be more customizable, at the very least in a way similar to MySpace where users can at least apply a 'skin' that makes their own page more unique.
So, perhaps I will close this week with a mission for the class: anyone know of very customizable wiki programs that are out there right now?
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I think you make an excellent point about the context of the wiki and how it relates to the kinds of restrictions on who can access it, as well as authority of information on the wiki. I think the great thing about using a wiki is that, at least in this way, it is possible to customize access to a degree. Using username/password access would be great in a context where misinformation on a wiki could have a great impact - people might be more careful about how and what they post, since it is attached to their name.
I am also a proponent of allowing all staff to access and update a wiki by using a username & password. In some workplaces, this would ensure that those with great ideas are not having their ideas stolen by others (you'd be surprised by how often this happens in a library setting). By being able to put your name to an idea or thought, those in charge will know who to talk to, should further discussion be warranted, and who to give that promotion to for their excellent ideas!
Hi Rebecca,
I agree with you that the decision on how much control to apply to a wiki needs to be considered carefully. Creating a fully collaborative environment sounds wonderful, but has its own issues. Restricting access and preventing anonymity where your users can easily be pinned down and identified is a good strategy as Brent suggested doing with staff. For external wikis though, users who are asked to create an account for editing can still choose to hide their identity and I doubt most people would agree to provide real personal information to an online wiki resource.
I agree that it's really important to decide beforehand what kind of read/write access you want to give people to your wiki because it will affect what kind of technology you choose. If you choose to use a technology such as MediaWiki (the software tech that powers Wikipedia) you can restrict access to a certain extent from people reading and adding content and using it anonymously, but you can't do this for certain pages- it's all or nothing. There are technologies out there, such as Twiki, that allow for fine-grained access control so individual pages can have specific access requirements- which is very useful for working groups.
Thanks for the reply, Amy. I appreciate the specificity, as I was having trouble finding other programs (besides the big shots) that allow lots of customization.
Cheers!