What is 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. Wiki's are therefore bound to sometimes factually incorrect information and can easily be mistaken. 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.
Why does Ocean City have its own Wiki?
Ocean City is a place where literally hundreds of thousands of visitors go annually - because the number of visitors and tourists is so high, it is necessary to prepare as best you can for your visit. The Ocean City Wiki will allow all of these many visitors and all of the permanent residents of the city to tell everyone else all the information they might need to plan their stay and maximize their time, money, and fun.
What else does Wiki mean?
It has been said that WIKI is an acronym for the phrase "what I know is", the logical prompt proceeding someone sharing information about what they have expertise in, or even what they are interested in.
The word itself is a shorter form of wiki wiki (weekie, weekie) which is from the native language of Hawaii (Hawaiian), where it is commonly used as an adjective to denote something "quick" or "fast" (Hawaiian dictionary). In English, it is an adverb meaning "quickly" or "fast".
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