The Interactive Glossary: Defining the Net
Wiki
A wiki is a website that encourages and enables people to participate in the creation and editing of its content. The software makes it easy--all that's needed is a web browser and some non-technical know-how.
The first wiki was created in 1995 by a programmer named Ward Cunningham as a supplement to the PortlandPatternRepository website. He wanted to democratize the creation of online content by providing a way for people to openly share their knowledge and be accountable to the group for the accuracy of their information. It was a radical idea at the time and still is among those who believe that the best information comes from "experts." But just as blogs have shaken up mainstream journalism, wikis challenge the status quo of mainstream publishing.
The most popular wiki is Wikipedia, a user-created online encyclopedia.
Learn more: The World of Wiki
