Understanding Wiki Technology

Any online project has its technology underpinnings. Aside from its infrastructure, you have to get serious about knowing the technology. Now, many of you might think of the word "wiki" as Wikipedia. But wiki, is only a piece of open source technology. A code that is given to all developers and use it for free. This is the same software that give a phenomenal success in an online collaboration project such as the giant Wikipedia.

The wiki technology is basically so new in the Philippines that only a handfull can understand. Unless you are a die-hard wikipedians you may know that the power of this free software if used properly can spark also a major writing or collaboration project in the Philippines. The only drawback is, who among Pinoys have fantasy of using this technology.

I have interviewed several friends in IT and I asked them if they heared about MediaWiki and answered "No, its Wikipedia not MediaWiki. Well fine, with that remarks I have already know that they are more on the consumers level. .. Several Content Management System (CMS) such as Plone, Joomla, etc. proliferate over the Internet and all claims that they are the most superior collaboration tool available. In my personal view, Wikipedia dominates it and needless to say it popularize the right technology-The MediaWiki. From there, it becomes world's first online collaboration encylopedia ever made... and this is where it takes my fantasy.

But before I decided to do this project, I have think about it for sometimes. Besides, I have never know if someone would like to support this project. I have hang-out in Wikipedia for several months already but I have never contributed any major articles yet. Instead my interest brought me into digging its secrets.

I have downloaded it, installed in my Mac and start tweaking its codes trying to find its limitations. One month had passed, I know, I'm ready if ever I push my wiki project.

WIKI 101

Let start this blog by introducing what really wiki is all about and how it becomes a revolutionary application that is widely used today for collaborative work over the internet.

What is a Wiki?

A Wiki is a piece of server software that allows community members to quickly and easily create and edit articles. Unlike traditional web pages that can only be read, a Wiki allows users to update each entries of a wiki site -- All without knowing HTML.

Wiki site uses MediaWiki software that was original written for Wikipedia, the largest online encyclopedia today. It is an open source application that you can freely download and develop for your own customization.

What makes a Wiki so powerful is that not only can other community members read the articles, but they have the ability to edit and contribute to the articles. You see, articles are not owned by individual members. Articles belong to the entire community and everyone in the community can modify them equally.

On Privacy

If you are building a freely editable and public wiki, you should be conscious about privacy issues and ask permission if you deemed like putting contents about celebrities and private individual. There can also be issues of legal liability and risk to reputation, particularly if you publish to the web. Options such as a moderated wiki format, user agreements,and locking some pages from public view can offer protections.

A wiki makes it easy to share ideas and information on a certain projects, meaning this application can be used for a collaborative projects either for personal or corporate. A wiki can opens the door to experts that are shy and silent types, thus, boosting and increasing their creativity, expertise, and productivity all around.

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Start the Wiki Revolution

Wikiboy is a blog on my adventure to the wikiworld. A world where everything is not perfect and subject for constant change. Wiki as everyone knows is open, free and inviting participative work to build a particular online project fast and easy.

Why Im doing this? It is because I am building a wiki project. A sort of wikipedia thing but being pinoy in context. So why build another if there's an existing one? Yes your right, we're just a copycat. But mind you that this "cat" is a pinoy that is only trying to promote sense of nationalism and pride.

How many sites are there that has purely Philippine contents? How many sites are there caters free access of information to our students and online projects that aims to uplift the quality of our education by providing resources they can use?

........No one.

Let's accept the fact that bureaucracy never works in this country. So much corruption that it never sees the real needs of its people. International organization such as the UNICEF, World Bank are addressing this issue for so long. NGO's and other private individuals are already starting to move their ways to address social issues. It's about time, we have to do our part. No one can help us but us. Let us build our dreams, let our freedom for information gives us knowledge that we can share and contribute.

Now, there's a revolution coming to our midst. Online people like you are aware that the community is shaping our world today. Let's help the Philippines stands on its own...lets start the revolution... Join the Pinoy Wiki Revolution!