What is a wiki?

Let's take a break and explore some wikis - you might be surprised at what they contain.

 

To begin with, we should look at the best known. It is called "Wikipedia" and is a wiki, though most think of it as just an encyclopaedia.

 

Click on the Wikipedia link and explore - just search for anything you are interested in. If you find a page you know a lot about, you might want to change what it says. Go right ahead - that's exactly what it's for!

Every wiki has its own rules. If you make a wiki, you make the rules.

 

This course is run by and for Oldham Lifelong Learning - but they don't own the course.

 

It runs on web services owned by PBWiki - but they don't own the course either.

 

PBWiki probably runs on computers owned by someone else - but we don't know who and they certainly don't own the course!

 

The design and original version were written by Mark A. Preston and he set the rules - but does not own the computers, the software, or the course.

 

In short, because you are using it, you own the course as long as you obey the rules.

You may have heard of a radio show, book, TV programme and films called "The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy" by the writer Douglas Adams.

 

Believe it or not, the Hitchhiker's Guide now exists and clicking on the link will take you there. Wait a moment before you click on it though.

 

If you look above, you will see three links. Two mention the Hichhiker's Guide - and this sentence does too. Here, they are just words; if you click where it says "Hitchhiker's Guide" then nothing will happen.

 

Earlier, it describes the real Hitchhiker's Guide. Before that, the original story of "The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy". Each time, the link does something different and this is an example of the real power of the ineractive internet - you can make it do whatever you want.

 

The real Guide, for instance, is a fun version of Wikipedia, just like it was in the original story.