Wiki

**// WHAT IS A WIKI???

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** WIKI 1 : DEFINITION **

Wiki is in Ward's original description: //The simplest online database that could possibly work.// Wiki is a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser. Wiki supports hyperlinks and has a simple text syntax for creating new pages and crosslinks between internal pages on the fly. Wiki is unusual among group communication mechanisms in that it allows the organization of contributions to be edited in addition to the content itself. Like many simple concepts, "open editing" has some profound and subtle effects on Wiki usage. Allowing everyday users to create and edit any page in a Web site is exciting in that it encourages democratic use of the Web and promotes content composition by nontechnical users. //Therefore, it is an easy access type of mechanism that allows individuals to form their own profile via using the internet and share with others online their experiences and what they have either learnt in lesson, or even the ability to organise their work in a more coherent manner.//

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**WIKI 2: DEFINITION:**

A wiki is a website where users can add, remove, and edit every page using a web browser. It's so terrifically easy for people to jump in and revise pages that wikis are becoming known as the tool of choice for large, multiple-participant projects.  http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2006/07/07/what-is-a-wiki. 



**WIKI 3 DEFINITION** : A Wiki is a Content Management System: To understand a wiki, you must understand the idea of a content management system. As complicated as the name might sound, content management systems, sometimes referred to by their initials (CMS), are really quite a simple concept. Imagine you are the editor of a newspaper and it is your duty to get the newspaper out the door every day. Now, each day, the articles in the newspaper are going to change. One day, a mayor might be elected, the next day, a high school football team wins the state championship, and the next day, a fire destroys two buildings downtown. So, every day you have to put new content into the newspaper. However, much of the newspaper also stays the same. The name of the newspaper, for example. And, while the date might change, it is going to be the same date on every page for that issue of the newspaper. Even the formats remain the same, with some pages having two columns and other pages having three columns. Now, imagine if you had to type in the name of the newspaper on every page each day. And you had to type in the date under it. And you had to manually configure those columns. As an editor, you might find yourself with so much work that you don't have time to actually put the good stuff -- the articles -- into the newspaper because you are too busy typing in the name of the newspaper over and over again. So, instead, you buy a software program that will let you create a template for the newspaper. This template puts the name at the top of the page, and lets you type in the date a single time and then copies it to each page. It will keep track of page numbers for you, and will even help you format the pages into two columns or three columns with a click of a button. That is a content management system. The web works the same way. If you notice, most websites are similar to your newspaper. The name of the website and the menu for navigating through it tend to stay the same while the actual content changes from page to page. Most websites are designed through a content management system that allows the creator to quickly and easily provide content to the user much in the same way that the editor can quickly pull new articles into the newspaper without having to design every single aspect of it by hand each time. The simplest of content management systems on the web is the blog. It is about as straight-forward as you can get, which is one of the main reasons why blogs are so popular. You simply type in what you want to say, give it a title, and click publish. The content management system will then stamp a date on it and put it on the main page. //Such an example above is quite and interesting aspect that can be easily taken into account while using such a wikispace. Technology is a ever growing aspect of society and using such technology can make one's life much easier to live by all the work done throughout our life, education, jobs etc on a pc, notebook or even on word will not only help the environment but also allow a braoder communication level with others in the world. A wiki is a perfect way of implementing such areas of a one's life in a more organised and coherent manner.//

http://webtrends.about.com/od/wiki/a/what_is_a_wiki.htm 

**WIKI 4: DEFINITION:**

The name comes from the Hawaiian word for "quick," and the term is generally attributed to Ward Cunningham, who, in 1995 set out to create "the simplest database that would work." Devoted to the search for useful and reusable patterns in software development, Cunningham's WikiWikiWeb still remains today a benchmark in wiki development. However, the characteristic that has most strikingly set wikis apart from other web based forums and discussions is that of multiple contributors. Unlike a blog, for example, which has one main identifiable author, a wiki web page may be authored and edited by a number of people. Not only may an individual contributor edit their own work, but also the work of others. Some speak of wiki pages in their purest form as never being finished and always in the process of being edited and expanded. //A wiki is a never ending process - one could easily work on a wiki for all their education or even their carrear, always taking note of their experiences on a topic or even keeping count of their works and sharing it with others to see the great affects that are given when one takes a look at how they were working years ago and then having a chance to re-live the esperiences that they shared on their own wiki page. A for the definition of the name, it's definately a "quick" and easy process to implement and use.//

 http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/wikis/index.htm