GET THE BETTER OF… WIKI !

In my previous post I’ve already pointed out that wiki means above all collaborative writing made of peers. In spite of the general overview on the wikisphere what I’ve really missed talking about is its main purpose, its large audience, its kind of language and more in general its chief characteristics.

As regards the main purpose of wiki the first keyword which immediately comes to my mind is collaboration. People write articles and post them on the Web: users are free to comment on and change texts creating a sort of community of readers who shares the same interests. Both interaction and cooperation have combined to create new entries or edit existing pages.

What one has to do is to approach the information with caution: someone may hurt other people on purpose introducing false or misleading content. To avoid inappropriate material it has been developed a sort of guide which helps editors in wiki-ing (see Wikipedia:Etiquette). It provides several principles from which new users can start to understand what a wiki looks like and what characterizes it as a genre too.

The language used is mainly formal: it has to be impersonal without voicing personal impressions or any particular point of view. Sayings are avoided and the use of standard English is preferred. A bit of formality is demanded too.

Wikis are addressed to everyone and at the same time to no one: its intended audience is anyone who wants to collaborate and contribute to add any sort of information regarding certain topics. Working on a wiki is almost like playing in a team: “players” don’t have to forget they’re not alone! They don’t have to be rude but always polite even when someone objects to or modifies their work.

One can see a wiki as a forum where people can exchange ideas and openly discuss about them. This doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone agrees with everything said by others: one always has to be critical! I consider wiki as a good training for life and one of the best exercises for our mind.

Alice

Photo taken from: Flickr