why wiki

In the early days of 2.0, I was working for an internet start-up company. We used a wiki for company communications. It stored a wide range of information from collaborative ideas to contact information to company policies. I loved it because, as the office manager, I was able to store a fair amount of information for new employees all in one place. And, since the company grew from about 10 employees to about 50 within a matter of months, that was really key. It really received a mixed review from the employees though. For one, a lot of people don't like having another password and another thing to check so they wouldn't log on. Another concern was security. Even though the wiki was password protected, they were worried that too many company ideas and too much information would leak out. So, for company information sharing, the wiki fell out of favor rather quickly.

Personally though I do really like the community sharing aspect of wikis. Conference wikis are a great idea. I'm sure it is a huge comfort to have this resource. Not to mention the pleasure of being able to add to it and help others.

I actually do have a favorite wiki -- well...in concept anyways. I can't say as I've ever used it. It is a open wiki dedicated to solving The Secret. Essentially, The Secret is a fantasy/treasure hunt book. And it does lead to actual treasure. The book provides clues in its text and images to aid readers in finding boxes which they can exchange for gemstones. Some have been found. I think the diamond's already been snatched up. But others are still out there waiting to be found. Essentially, people who are actually on the hunt log their notes and progress in this wiki and the community helps with the search. Check it out! Pretty cool, huh. Well, maybe cool's not the right word, but I love it!