What Is a Wiki?

A wiki is an online collaborative content management system.  Businesses use them to store information, distribute information for employees, and provide a medium through which all employees can share ideas and input in a fair manner.  Rather than management just passing along info to their employees, it is really a two way street of interaction. Many people can work on the same document at the same time. Each wiki has its own community divided into three sections, the reader, writer, and editor. This may further help you find what you are looking for.  In addition, there are different kinds of wikis, such as reference, game, or entertainment. In general wikis provide project documentation and global communication.  Many times wikis are used to conduct business meetings with members from different places instead of a live in-office meeting.

 Large or small company projects can be managed and manipulated, templates can be stored, and data can be stored and edited, all in the simplicity of a wiki. One of the best features is that a wiki can be a great source of information, usually free, much like an online library. 

Sometimes it may be hard to find the wiki you want. The Comprehensive Guide to Wikis may be of help. A wiki farm is another great resource.  It narrows your search for the best wiki by grouping wikis, with similar content or subject, into topics, therefore eliminating the daunting task of finding the perfect search parameters by which to find what you seek.  Wikia and Wetpaint are the most popular of these.

Marketing Entries, hacking, and misinformation are the possible drawbacks of wikis. Just like anything else, you have to use common sense and good judgment in order to get the most out of the wiki experience.  Even with its downside, wikis are here to stay.