Wiki: Pedia

<p>A wiki is a web platform that enables multiple users to collaboratively create, edit, and arrange content through a browser. They emphasize simplicity and openness — pages can be created or modified without special technical skills, and most maintain an edit history so revisions can be reviewed or reverted. Common features - **Collaborative editing:** Numerous contributors can work on pages, sometimes simultaneously. - **Edit history:** All edits are stored with timestamps and the author’s name or IP. - **Interlinking:** It’s easy to create links between pages, forming an interconnected knowledge base. - **Lightweight markup:** Pages are typically formatted with lightweight markup like WikiText or Markdown. - **Permission settings:** Access controls vary — from fully open editing to permissions for certain users or groups. - **Discussion pages:** Separate talk pages allow contributors to discuss edits and structure. Frequent uses - Community knowledge bases such as Wikipedia - Internal documentation and company knowledge bases - Group writing and collaborative note-taking - Classroom and educational projects Advantages - **Fast collaboration:** Many people can collaborate and iterate quickly on content. - **Openness:** Edit histories and talk pages reveal how content decisions were made. - **Expandable:** They scale organically as users add more pages and topics. Drawbacks - **Vandalism and false information:** Open contribution can result in deliberate or accidental misinformation. - **Inconsistent quality:** Entries may vary in accuracy, style, and completeness. - **Organizational issues:** Poor coordination or governance can cause content fragmentation and disputes. Illustration - **Wikipedia** — the largest example, maintained by the Wikimedia Foundation and contributed to by volunteers worldwide.</p>