What's a Wiki?

From Ocean City Wiki

What's a Wiki?

The quick (pun intended) definition of a wiki is that it means 'fast' or 'quick' in Hawaiian. The working definition according to most sources, is basically that a wiki is a website or similar online resource which allows users to add and edit content collectively. Some wikis require users to sign in to edit content, others are literally open to any edits at all.

There are many notions floating around as to what a wiki is. The sheer range of ideas and interpretations of what the very word 'wiki' means is a testament to the kind of creativity and proliferation of ideas the wiki is designed to promote and prompt. A wiki is basically an online, easy to use, encyclopediac entry that can be made by anyone with the tools to access the internet. Wikis are therefore bound to sometimes present factually incorrect information. But the access to the masses of both obtaining and providing information is what makes the idea of a wiki so remarkable. The wiki is a tool which reflects the best aspirations of the internet, itself a tool to make access to information and communications both global and prolific.

The core principles of the wiki can be found and explored within a number of different venues. The creator of the first wiki, Ward Cunningham, outlines some of these Wiki design principles on his original site.