Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
These applications allow contributors to read and add content related
to a particular topic. Each topic is arranged with subordinate topics, each
represented as a specific thread of conversation between participants. This
organization allows related threads to be easily grouped, combined, and
cross-referenced by participants. Like e-mail discussion lists, forums can
be configured for moderation to control content addition, or may be left
open to all members of the contributing community.
Like Web logs, forums and bulletin boards are accessible using com-
mon Internet Web clients and can be open to all comers or restricted to
only a select membership. These solutions have evolved from discussion
boards implemented originally on dial-up bulletin board systems (BBS)
before the rise of the Internet, and can be found addressing almost any
topic from style and fashion to gaming and investment management.
Wiki
Because bulletin boards often include multiple threads covering the same
topic area, members may find navigation and review of related items
somewhat cumbersome. The wiki is a Web service developed to coor-
dinate collective group topic content contribution by providing a single
location for each topic.
Note:
The term “wiki” comes from a common term from my home-
land. The Hawai'ian term “wiki wiki” means to hurry very quickly. Its
first identifiable use as a designation for this means of electronic col-
laboration was as an exchange of information between programmers, the
WikiWikiWeb, created by Howard Cunningham.
Wiki contributors can review, add, edit, and modify content relating
to a particular topic or project. This information is cross-referenced to
other topic areas within the wiki to build a web of collective information.
By harnessing the combined knowledge base of all participants, wikis
seek to reach information convergence more rapidly than when individual
contributors operate alone to produce documentation or research find-
ings, as shown in Figure 6.8.
Wikis maintain a change history, so information that is accidentally
lost or discarded during earlier edits can be returned to the active content
