Wiki

As much as I like to consider myself up to date with all the latest technology I’m not always an early adopter. Recently I’ve been staying abreast of the latest and greatest web innovations by reading the blogs of people that make it their business to stay up to date. In particular I’ve noticed that social software, applications that allow many people to collaborate resulting in output greater than the sum of the parts, has really been driving innovation online. Projects that take advantage of the breadth of the Internet to provide highly detailed, niche focussed, community driven and content rich experiences are popping up all over the place. Just as I was interested to learn about the Long Tail concept I recently was excited to discover the Wiki.

A Wiki is a website that allows anyone to browse and edit the content. You might think this is a bit crazy with people adding stupid content or arguing over what content should be displayed, but in the spirit of community it seems to be working. As long as the majority of people contribute to the Wiki in good faith then an amazing depth of content is possible. Let’s look at an example…

The largest Wiki and the one that I’ve really been enjoying is Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia. Wikipedia is probably the largest encyclopedia in existence and again, it takes advantage of the long tail effect thanks to the breadth of the Internet. Wikipedia content is contributed to by, well anyone. You can go to Wikipedia and find any topic you are familiar with and provide a definition description. If the topic is already covered you can read over it and if you think you could add something valuable or you find a mistake, you change it. There is some moderation but it’s done after editing and those with malicious intent are banned as quickly as possible. Content can be restored to a previous version if some idiots run a-muck and much like they did with graffiti in New York City – you just keep cleaning up until they give up.

Wikipedia is managed by a not-for-profit organisation which I believe is a key ingredient for it’s success. People are more willing to contribute to something when it’s purpose is for the greater good and not for shareholder profits. If Wikipedia was a corporate business I’m not certain it would be as successful as it has been.

Wikipedia is a great place to learn. I recently wanted to learn about the distances airplanes can fly without needing stopovers for fuel. In particular I wanted to know how far a Boeing 747 can go because I recently caught one from LA to Brisbane and at the same time there was another Qantas 747 leaving for Melbourne. Melbourne is a good three hours away from Brisbane and since LA to Brisbane is 13.5 hours I didn’t think a 747 could make the distance. First I googled for Boeing 747 and got some simple answers from other sites. Then I did the same search for Boeing 747 on Wikipedia and got a great detailed history of the plane and other facts, including the distances it can fly. In fact a 747 had once flown direct from Sydney to London however it had no cargo or passengers on board.

If you have some time, take a look at Wikipedia and ask it some questions. I’m certain it will have your answers and if it doesn’t, maybe you should add it yourself.

Yaro Starak
Student-Marketing.com.au Manager