Wikis and Wikipedia - The Development Process

For a long time, one of my favorite sites on the intranet has been Wikipedia.  I find it interesting, and my kids use it all the time for online research. This posting reviews how the online community creates content ... a fascinating view of open source development.

In addition to my own work, my thanks to these blogs which provided neat resources: Gadgetopia, The Distant Librarian, myScreenCast.Com and weblogg-ed.

So first, what's a Wiki? In brief, a Wiki allows the online community to jointly develop and comment on almost any topic.  Here is a great screencast from the University of British Columbia which explains the Wiki concept in depth.

Now that you understand the concept of a Wiki, let's see how the open source development community works together:

• Heavy Metal Umlaut Article Development Process - link to the Wikipedia article

How active is this online community.  It makes busy bees look lazy

• Real Time Update of Wikipedia Live

However, does the the development community always agree? Almost never! You say tomato, I say tomato, etc. (long "a", then short "a" sound).

• Design By Grouchy Committee

In closing, Steve Jobs once called Wikipedia one of the most accurate encyclopedias in the world. However, as he has never been known for being a Microsoft lover, this might explain why Encarta is not his first choice! You may wish, however, to read this comparison study done by the magazine, Nature, between Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica