Tech Team Newsletter - Volume 4 Issue 9

Tech Team: In the Trenches

October 2006 Volume 4 Issue 9

Table of Contents

What is a Wiki?
By Michael Marciel & Linda Rohrbaugh

What is a Wiki?
A wiki is a type of website (or the software that enables the website) that allows users to easily add, remove or otherwise edit and change content that was placed there by someone else without the user having to know HTML (hypertext markup language – the authoring software language used on the internet) or other programming language. Wikis are designed to convey specific information about a topic. They are typically written in standard article format containing embedded links without linear navigational structures (except in larger wikis). The wiki systems make it easy for the user/editor to create links to existing pages and even to pages that haven’t been created.

User/editors who revise content may or may not be required to register with the website operator and are asked to comply with system rules. Most wikis have a system to record changes so that at any time, a page can be reverted to any of its previous states. The system may also include various tools that provide users with an easy way to monitor the constantly changing state of the wiki, as well as a place to discuss and resolve issues such disagreement over wiki content. Because users may add incorrect information to a wiki, wiki content can be misleading. Wiki systems typically deal with this by looking to the user group to ensure that corrections are made. Easy interaction and operation makes a wiki an effective tool for collaborative authoring.

How is a wiki different from a blog?
Wikis are not blogs. A blog (short for Web log) is a Web page that serves as a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual. Typically updated daily, a blog often reflects the personality of the author. A wiki, by contrast, is a repository of information of a specific or general nature and is typically written from a neutral viewpoint.

How is a wiki different from a forum or message board, chat and email?
How do I communicate more effectively with my most important clients? If you have a client or clients that you are communicating with on a frequent basis, you can create a shortcut on your desktop. Simply right click anywhere on your desktop and choose New | Shortcut and enter “mailto:email address” and substitute your client’s email address where it says "email address."

For what purposes do website operators use wikis?
Currently, wikis are being used for everything from knowledge repository, collaborative document creation, group project sites, project development and forum sites.

For the history of wikis and further information on how Realtors® can use wikis, please visit www.reisinnovations.com and click on learning.