Wiki: Pedia

<p>Wikis are websites built for collaborative authoring, allowing numerous contributors to add, edit, and structure content online. Simplicity and openness are central to wikis: anyone can often add or change pages without technical knowledge, and edits are usually logged for review or rollback. Key features - **Collaborative editing:** Numerous contributors can work on pages, sometimes simultaneously. - **Edit history:** Every modification is recorded with a timestamp and the editor’s identity or IP address. - **Interlinking:** Creating links among pages is straightforward, which helps interconnect content. - **Lightweight markup:** Simple markup languages (such as WikiText or Markdown) are used to format pages. - **Permission settings:** Access controls vary — from fully open editing to permissions for certain users or groups. - **Discussion pages:** Dedicated discussion pages enable contributors to coordinate and discuss content. Frequent uses - Crowd-sourced knowledge resources (e.g., Wikipedia) - Internal documentation and company knowledge bases - Cooperative writing and shared notes - School and instructional projects Benefits - **Fast collaboration:** Many people can collaborate and iterate quickly on content. - **Openness:** Transparency through revision histories and discussions. - **Expandable:** Wikis expand easily as contributors add and organize content. Drawbacks - **Vandalism and false information:** Open editing may allow intentional or accidental inaccuracies. - **Inconsistent quality:** Articles can differ greatly in depth, tone, and reliability. - **Organizational issues:** Without clear governance, content may become fragmented or disputed. Illustration - **Wikipedia** — the best-known wiki, run by the Wikimedia Foundation and built by volunteer contributors worldwide.</p>